The Myth of Crystaelius
by Saddened Soul
Summary: Three weeks after the destruction of Saint's Tower, as well as Haruko, a new, more dangerous threat appears, and an old enemy returns. (Glitchyness deleted story...)
1. Prologue

(This is it, my second Wild Arms story! Yay! Anyways, for those of you who haven't read "The Demon Lord, Haruko" I'm afraid it will be somewhat difficult to keep up with the story and plot, mostly because this story is a direct sequel and carries on remnants of the first story and uses them strongly. With that warning aside, I shall have Dark Link do the Disclaimer!

Dark Link: Why me!

JUST DO IT!

Dark Link: Fine, Saddened Soul does not own Wild ARMs 3 or anything else owned by Sony or Media Vision. There, can I go now?)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Prologue

The man opened his eyes slowly, his sensations blaring. He sat up from underneath the shallow, yet small, pool of water. His breathing was frenzied at first, but gradually slowed as he began to focus on his surroundings.

He was sitting in what seemed to be a small cavern, a single, dim- lighten lantern illuminating the dark shadows. He was nude, except for a small cloth tied around his lower areas.

The man winced as he climbed out of the pool, grasping what seemed to be worn- out cloak and placing it on his skin to protect from the frigid winds which seemed to be entering the cavern from the outside.

His long, blue hair slithered down his back as he exited the room, and what he saw surprised him.

He was standing on a low ridge of a mountain south of Laxisland. An enormous pile of stone, rock, and concrete could be seen within a large crater at the base of the mountain, and aside from that, strange, black creatures were scurrying around the rubble.

Two men, from what it seemed, in cloaks were supervising the excavation, and another, somewhat younger man with his hood off was commanding orders. The man had long green hair flowing down the back of his cloak, and a golden chain tied around his waist.

"It's quite interesting, isn't it, Mr. Cascade?"

Janus quickly turned to face a man which seemed to be in his mid- sixty's. The man had short gray hair and a few wrinkles were visible on his face. His eyes were a strange color, a color which Janus had never recognized.

"Who the Hell are you! Where am I!" Janus shouted as the man smiled casually. "I am known as Guile, Mr. Cascade, and you are here on Filgaia. I resurrected you from the dead for a reason. You should be grateful, most people who are murdered by the demon, Siegfried, don't usually come back."

Janus glanced around. "What is this then!" Guile chuckled somewhat, sighing. "I am the leader of a small group which I have titled, The Order of Osiris. The ancient Elws constructed somewhat grand civilizations before the Neosapiens arrived, Mr. Cascade. They called the council which governed the peace, The Council of the Osiris, and that, down there, is what is left of Saint's Tower, or the Osiris Cannon, which was a great weapon which ended the war centuries ago."

Janus started to calm down as Guile explained this. "All right, so whjy did you bring me back?"

Guile took a glance at the rubble before responding, "You are one of the only beings which can harness Filgaia's energy. Since I brought you back by utilizing your soul with the planet's, you are immortal, one with the planet per say."

Janus smirked. "So, you're saying I have limitless power, right?"

Guile nodded. "In a way, but I brought you back for a reason. That reason is for you to find the second user of the planet's energy and bring him or her to me. All I need is your cooperation with the great mechanism, Orion, and I can give you all the power you want."

The blue- haired Drifter's smile grew larger as he thought of the possibilities. "So all I have to do is bring you this guy?"

"Yes, it makes it that much easier by the fact that you can sense Filgaia's energy. You see, Saint's Tower was activated just seventy- two hours ago, and the only power which can activate it is the planets. So, someone else holds the ability to harness Filgaia's power."

(Well, I'm sorry it seemed short, but it was the prologue. For those of you who read my previous story, you already know who the other user of Filgaia's energy is. R&R!)


	2. Chapter One I

(Yeah! My number one fan's back! I thought my curse of having people review and say they like the story and then mysteriously stop reviewing, but it didn't! Well, enjoy.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter One: Dust in the Wind I

Jet inspected his Airget- Lambh carefully, (Did I spell it right this time?) taking in every aspect of it. It was a few hours before dawn in the somewhat large town of Jolly Roger. It was ironic that this town had been his last stop with Clive, Gallows, and Virginia, and his second stop since he and Todd had started traveling together.

The boy was a breath of fresh air from the somewhat noisy Virginia and Gallows. Todd would only bring up a conversation when there was a need to, and began to seem more as an assistant rather than a companion. He would constantly do things for that were unnecessary, and when the sulky Drifter would protest, the boy would politely and calmly state: "The savior should deserve such treatment."

Jet did not even think of himself as a hero who had saved the world. He had help, and almost all of it was based off of coincidence. Whenever Jet thought of it as a coincidence, he would remember Virginia say that coincidence was a part of fate.

Jet leaned against the inn as Todd walked up to him, carrying their two travel bags. Jet had opposed of course, but Todd only smiled and said it was his pleasure.

"So, Mr. Jet, are we going to spend the night in the inn?" Todd asked as the white- haired Drifter shrugged. "I guess, but we might as well register.

The two entered the inn. The barkeeper was absent and only two people were present in the restaurant/bar area. A man with long, black hair and a bandana was seated at the bar, and another man seemed to be eating a small meal.

"Aaron?" Jet thought as he instantly recognized the man eating. Todd had also recognized their acquaintance- at least as he was presently- and had walked over to him.

"Mr. Aaron, it's nice to see you again."

Aaron looked up from his meal at the boy standing across from him. "Ah, Todd, what a coincidence; I was just thinking of our meeting in Humphrey's Peak," he stated happily.

"So, what brings you here Todd? Are you with Virginia and the others?" The boy shook his head. "No, Jet and I have been traveling for a few weeks though."

Aaron turned his head to the entrance of the inn to see Jet making arrangements with the barkeeper about their stay.

"I see. I hope you are doing well?" Aaron asked Jet as he walked over to the table. "It's been… peachy."

Aaron chuckled while taking a bite of his french toast with his fork. "An interesting response, by the way, would you two like a meal, a drink perhaps?"

"No thank you," Todd replied as Jet shook his head.

The brown- haired swordsman stood up, strapping his sword to his side and depositing his neatly finished plate and glass on the bar counter before readying to leave. "Well, if you two ever feel like getting a drink, you'll know where to find me."

As the three were about to leave however, there was deafening explosion near the southern part of the town.

"What the Hell was that!" Jet exclaimed as the man at the bar finished his drink. "Who knows," Aaron started, "but it wasn't expected. The citizens are bound to be in a panic."

Jet nodded as he gripped his ARMs, as a strange, yet faint, scurrying sound could be heard.

"What's that?" Todd asked urgently, panic growing within his voice.

There was a growing fire spreading as most of the citizens fled in panic as large groups of small black creatures attacked in a frenzy, ripping apart buildings slowly and biting at people and animals.

"W-What are those things!" Todd demanded, the fear apparent as three of the creatures took notice of the Drifters and sprang at them.

Aaron quickly sliced the first one in half with a single slice as Jet shot at one while avoiding the other's attack.

The dead creatures mysteriously dissipated as what seemed like ten more appeared and attacked.

Aaron was successful in dispatching four, while Jet took care of three, yet, as they fought, more materialized to retaliate.

Soon, what seemed like forty creatures had surrounded the group as separate fires were quickly burning through most of the buildings.

Jet gritted his teeth. "There's too many, we can't keep this up." Aaron nodded, scanning the area for an escape route. He took full notice of the back alley to the left of the warehouse, sprinting for it with Jet and Todd following at full speed.

The creatures seemed intelligent enough to chase after the Drifters, and the situation was extremely worse in the southern part of the city. A small number of Drifters and citizens had attempted to fight back, but some had already been wounded, a few had already died.

"This is bad; at this rate Jolly Roger will be decimated," Aaron commented as Jet opened fire on a few of the creatures.

"So then what do you suppose we do?" Todd asked as he swiftly avoided some of the creatures' attacks. Aaron shook his head. "I'm not sure, however, there has to be a source to these creatures."

"They're quite nasty aren't they?" The three Drifters looked up to see Janus Cascade standing atop the roof of the inn. "I think they're called Scryers, living manifestations of darkness."

Jet's eyes widened in surprise as Janus unsheathed a somewhat large sword. The blue- haired Drifter was wearing black armor, and his hair was tied back in a long ponytail.

"Surprised to see me?" Jet nodded. "Do you have a habit of not staying dead?"

Janus laughed. "What do you think? But besides that, I'm here to destroy this entire town and take you alive."

"Alive? What are you talking- However, before Jet finished Aaron quickly waved him off. "This isn't the time Jet. I'll hold him off while you two escape."

Jet was about to protest before Todd grabbed his arm and began to run from the scene.

Janus smirked. "Let them run, more fun for me," he thought as Aaron grasped his sheath.

"You have that rotting smell of a demon emanating from you. I hope you're ready." Janus leaped off of the building and prepared his battle stance. "Say what you want, but I'm warning you to run away like them."

Aaron smiled slightly. "I told them I'd hold you off and that's what I am going to do. I'd be the one to be afraid. I've had sufficient training with a sword since my birth."

His opponent's smile only grew larger.


	3. Chapter One II

(Well Rutee you're on the right track. Aaron plays a much larger role in the storyline of this story.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter One: Dust in the Wind II

The train ride from Southfarm to Midland station was a long and silent one for Virginia Maxwell. She visited Boot Hill briefly since she was in the area; the visit itself was more of a checkup.

The female Drifter decided to take a train ride though, and the nearest location was the port town, Jolly Roger.

Virginia could notice that the day was beginning to slump as the sun grew brighter. She was used to the heat though; it had been hot and dry since she was eight. The main reason Virginia ventured to Boot Hill after the group separated was to celebrate her birthday with her family.

As the train began to near Midland station she noticed a pillar of smoke rising up behind the small canyon which blocked Jolly Roger from view.

Janus rushed at Aaron, preparing to bring his sword downward upon his opponent. Aaron, however, quickly raised his sheath up to block the attack; a split second after that he unsheathed his sword and in an uppercut motion, knocked Janus down in a single slash.

Aaron swung his blade to the right, cleaning his sword of the crimson liquid as the blood flew to the ground.

Janus stood up slowly, his teeth ground. "Lucky shot, that's all it was."

Aaron sheathed his sword. "I warned you, so I am going to ask you; why are you here? What's going on?"

Janus began to laugh as he brushed a strand of hair from his face. "All I'm here to do is capture that friend of yours."

Aaron closed his eyes and sighed. "You're not answering my question, but unfortunately, I can't allow you to pass."

The blue- haired Drifter continued his laugh with ease before raising his sword. "Well, I'm not in the mood to be kept waiting by some idiot who thinks he can defeat an an almighty being."

Janus grinned before leaping into the air and yelling, "Negative Rainbow!" He swung the blade downward, causing the several streams of multi- colored energy to collide with the surprised warrior.

The attack sent Aaron crashing through a wall of a building. Janus chuckled before disappearing.

Jet attempted to remain focused as he and Todd raced through the remains of Jolly Roger. It just did not seem clear. Janus was alive! How he came back though, was the real question on Jet's mind. There had to be something; he hoped however, it was not the Prophets. It was as if nothing stayed dead.

"Mr. Jet, there doesn't seem to be any exits," Todd stated. Jet was snapped back from his thoughts, replying, "What? There has to be; this town isn't that big, like every other one."

Suddenly though, more Scryers appeared. "Dammit! Will I ever be able to live without trying to be killed all the time!" Jet exclaimed, shooting two of the beasts.

Many more kept appearing, and Jet and Todd were greatly outnumbered. As the Scryers were about to finish their victims, rapid gunshots could be heard.

Todd followed the gunshot sounds to an alleyway opposite to the one he and Jet had traveled. The wielder of the ARMs was the man from the bar; Todd was sure of it. He had long black hair, and a damp green colored bandanna tied around his head. He wore a dark green vest with a black shirt underneath; he was also wearing black pants and black palm covers.

"You two all right over there?" he asked cheerfully before taking out more of the Scryers. Jet joined in, and they were all soon decimated.

The Drifter inspected the two black and golden ARMs strapped to the backside of the lower portion of his arms. They were both machine guns, easily accessed by pressing the trigger that would be inserted into the palm of his hand.

Todd smiled. "Thank you, um…"

"Enrique Bryant… But my real name is Enrique Sanchez," the Drifter completed the sentence happily.

"Enrique? What a foreign name," Todd stated. Enrique nodded. "Well, I was an orphan, so my name would most likely be different had I been raised by my biological parents."

The ground suddenly shook, and one of the buildings began to collapse on Todd. He quickly darted to the other side before the building fell and separated him from Jet and Enrique.

Jet was about to run over to him before the ground began to give away.

(Sorry for the long wait, but I've been enjoying way too many videogames, especially Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, but I beat it, so no problem.)


	4. Chapter One III

(For some extremely strange reason, I've decided to post another chapter so soon after the last one. I'm not sure if it's because of my insane fans, boredom, or just the urge to finish this story… Hey, um, would you guys like me to post this other WA3 fic I have. It doesn't have any spoilers for this one, but that's not the best question, for you guys are probably loading those machine guns to kill me with for calling you insane. Yes, I meant you, and I'm sorry, but for my life to end would be very unfortunate, at least in my opinion. But then I would never finish this fic, but I'm just going to shut up and continue with the chapter, since that's the only real reason you would bother clicking on this link.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter One: Dust in the Wind III

Aaron pushed away some rocks in an effort to escape the rubble. He had not expected the attack Janus used, and was slightly surprised at its strength.

"Mr. Aaron! Are you hurt!" He recognized that voice; it of course belonged to Todd. As far back as he could remember, the boy was had always been polite; it was Jet who would occasionally cast a remark, but aside from that, the two were never troublemakers.

Aaron freed himself from the rubble with one last push. Todd ran up to him, an expression of fear and urgency plastered on his face. His expression surprised Aaron, as he had not seen Todd hold that look for more than ten years. He reminded him of his sister, but he was quickly brought back to reality when Todd stated urgently, Mr. Jet; he's in trouble!"

"What happened?" Aaron asked, rubbing his forehead. "Mr. Jet and another man, I believe his name was Enrique, they both fell through a landslide that occurred on the other side of the town."

The swordsman nodded. "Alright, we have to find them. Show me where they were."

Jet winced while opening his eyes; a skill he thought was the easiest in the world. His body ached as he tried to stand up. "Need some help?"

The voice belonged to Enrique, who had outstretched his hand to help.

Jet fought the pain and stood up before rubbing his arm. "Where are we?" he asked painfully. Enrique glanced around. "From what I think, we might be in some caverns under Jolly Roger.

Jet studied their surroundings, noticing a large pile of rubble in the corner. "Would that be how we fell in?" Enrique nodded. "Yep; thought you were dead, I think you fell a little harder than I dead."

Jet glared at him before the cavern shook violently. A few stalagmites fell from the ceiling of the caves, and one of the walls collapsed, revealing a new chamber.

"I guess that is our way out," the black haired Drifter stated as he began to walk towards it. Jet followed reluctantly, hating the condition he was in.

The train ceased shakily, startling Virginia. She was trying to catch up on some needed sleep, but you could rarely sleep peacefully on a train anymore. The threat of a robbery or a hijacking was always on a passenger's mind.

Virginia rubbed her eyes and stood before gathering her belongings and exiting the train.

"Want some water?" Enrique asked while offering his canteen to his fellow Drifter. Jet hurriedly shook his head and quickened his pace, trying to spend as less time socializing with Enrique as he could.

The Drifter shrugged and ignored Jet's response, opening the canteen and taking a quick gulp.

However, another wall of the caverns collapsed, and when the dust cleared, revealed Janus Cascade. "It took me a little while to find you blokes, but at least now I can finish the job."

Enrique scratched his head. "Um, excuse me, but who the Hell are you?"

Janus scowled at Enrique. "Never heard of me, eh? Name's Janus, Janus Cascade; ring a bell?"

Enrique smiled casually and shook his head. "Nope, guess I've been living under a rock all these years."

"Guess you have," Janus answered, removing his sword from his sheath and preparing his battle stance. "But you won't live long enough to hear about what you missed."

The blue- haired man dashed at Enrique, slashing horizontally at him. The Drifter rolled underneath the attack, aiming the ARMs on his right arm at him and pulling the trigger.

Janus quickly held out his hand and formed a small barrier, stopping the bullets. He then pointed his index and middle fingers at the man and shouted, "Proton Beam!"

The blue beam of energy sailed directly at the surprised Drifter, who was quickly pulled out of the way by Jet.

The blast collided with the wall, causing a great explosion. Jet readied his ARMs while Enrique stood up, scanning the area.

Janus was nowhere to be seen, until another Proton Beam sailed at them. The two Drifters quickly evaded the attack, firing their ARMs aimlessly into the dust.

Janus smirked at their foolishness; raising his sword and jamming it into the ground. Massive pillars of dark energy erupted, combining together and causing another huge explosion.

Aaron studied the landslide. Whatever had caused it was extremely powerful, but the question that was truly bothering him was, what in the world was really going on?

"There has to be something bigger behind this, there has to be," he thought as the ground shook once more, and the entire area over the caverns exploded.

Todd and Aaron ran back to the entrance of the town, in awe of the explosion.

Janus's grin grew wider as he reviewed his work. "I might have overdone it. Hmm… That Guile guy didn't want him dead now did he? It doesn't matter; if that guy has the same power I have he should be immortal."

He shrugged and disappeared as a small amount of the rubble shook. Jet freed himself while grasping Enrique's body and hauling it up.

Enrique rubbed his head as he dusted himself off. "That was some freaky stunt back there; using that barrier thing to shield us."

Jet shook his head. "I didn't really use it; it just… happened, but I'm used to it by now."

The black- haired Drifter scratched his head. "Well, I'll make sure you explain it to me later," he stated as Jet picked his Airget- lambh up. "Whoever said I'll even meet you again?"

Enrique shrugged. "I don't know, just thought I owed you for saving my life back there."

"Consider that as payment for you saving my friend and I's lives before," Jet answered while inspecting his ARMs before walking off; Enrique hurrying to catch up.

Todd continued to blankly stare at the endless wasteland which used to be Jolly Roger. Aaron was not sure if the boy thought Jet dead, but he sure did not. "Jet… You managed to come back before, maybe not as yourself, but as a better person; a person with a different outlook on life, a perspective which reflected maturity."

"Aaron, did you ever have any brothers or sisters?" Todd suddenly asked. Aaron was startled by the question, but answered, "As a matter of fact, I did; a sister."

"Can you tell me about her?"

Aaron smiled and walked over to Todd, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Yes, I'd like to talk about her. It's been so long, since I ever did see any of my family. My parents passed away when my sister and I were very young, and my grandfather was out at the time. I would usually take care of my sister, as she had caught a very foreign and deadly disease. The town doctors had never heard of it, and no medicine was available at the time. She wasn't allowed to go outside, to experience any of the joys we all take for granted. She was really the only person I truly cared about."

Todd nodded. "What ever happened to her?"

"Well, one day, my grandfather came home, saying he would take us to a better home; he had found residence in Humphrey's Peak. "I protested, saying that it was dangerous to Ileana's health, but he ended up taking her and leaving me. It was shortly after that, that the town caught fire, and Jet passed away. He and a few others were the only ones to be found deceased, I became a Drifter, and you disappeared."

Todd shook his head, replying, "I guess you've felt what I'm feeling right now. Even though I lost my memory, I still feel as if I've lost someone very close to me."

Aaron smiled. "Don't worry, Jet's very versatile; I'm sure he's just fine."

"Hey! Aaron, Todd!"

The two turned to see Virginia running towards them. "What, uh, happened here? Most of the passengers from the train noticed the fire, and the workers called for help."

Aaron smiled. "It'll take time to explain."

(… You're still coming to kill me right? Well, if you are, I'll be ready… I think… I probably won't be, just don't hurt yourself!)


	5. Chapter Two

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Two: Meeting

"You're… kidding, right?" Virginia asked while taking a sip of her cup of coffee. Aaron shook his head. "No, that man, Janus Cascade, he destroyed Jolly Roger."

Virginia rubbed her temples. "I don't believe it; can't Janus stay dead? Besides that, you're saying he was after Jet?"

Todd and Aaron nodded in unison. "We're not sure why though, but he is dangerous. If he's allowed to continue this rampage Filgaia is sure not to last long, but it also raises the question of what else is behind this."

Aaron had escorted the other two to a small inn by the main road. It was not incredibly large, but still held a sense of homeliness.

Enrique stared within his canteen, angered by what he saw. "Not even a drop of water left! Darn it! I'm so thirsty! By the way, where the heck are we going?" he asked, glancing in Jet's direction.

"I know this little inn; if we hurry we can make it before nightfall."

Enrique sighed. "Fine, just lead the way…" Jet shrugged before asking, "Hold on, what's your last name?"

"Sanchez."

"But didn't you say it was Bryant?" Enrique chuckled. "Oh yeah, Sanchez is my adoptive family's name. After some researching, I found out my real parents' name was Bryant, and that also lead me to discover that my uncle, Duran Bryant, was a member of the Council of Seven."

Jet scratched his head. "You're not as stupid as you look," he commented before beginning to quicken his pace. "What's that supposed to mean! I'm not stupid!"

"So, on a lighter subject, how has it been Miss Virginia?" Todd asked happily. Virginia smiled. "Well, it was just my birthday two days ago. Aside from that, it's been fine."

"Here we are," Jet stated as he began to open the door to the inn. Enrique eyed the place, commenting, "This place new?"

"Yeah."

The inside did seem to be larger than it did from the outside. There were a few tables scattered about, a small bar, and a stairwell located in the corner, presumably leading up to the rooms.

Jet scanned the room, finding one table holding Todd, Aaron, and Virginia Maxwell. "Great," muttered Jet under his breath. "What is it?" Enrique asked, following Jet's eyes to the table. "My Lord…"

"What?" the other Drifter inquired as the man began to advance towards the table. "She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen; I have to meet her!" he answered as he walked up to the table.

"Um, excuse me." Todd looked up first, his eyes widening. "You… you're that guy. Where's Jet?"

"Right here," the silver- haired Drifter replied, walking up.

"Jet!" Todd exclaimed instantly embracing him in a hug. Jet was somewhat startled by the embrace, but had no time to recuperate from it as Virginia quickly hugged him afterwards.

"It's so good to see you again!" she exclaimed as he shook her away. "Yeah, uh, same here."

"What the?" Enrique mumbled. "Darn, don't tell me she's already his girl?" he thought aloud.

"I don't think so," Aaron replied. "But you'd better act fast if you want to." Enrique scratched his head. "Hmm, I guess I will, later on."

Guile placed the book back on the shelf as Janus entered the dimly lit chamber. "Did you find him?" Janus nodded. "Yeah, at least I think I did."

The older man chuckled. "Don't worry; I'm sure he's alive."

"How'd you know that!" Janus asked, surprised.

"Somehow, I was capable of reading a person's thoughts after I found Orion, but, it's very weak."

Suddenly, another hooded man entered, but he was younger, about the age of sixteen. He removed his hood and asked, "So, I suppose we're going to find the first key soon?"

Guile nodded. "Yes, and once we have both, we will be able to activate Orion, and then find Crystaelius!"

As he finished the statement, another person entered the room, a female. She was around the age of twenty, and had long black hair with green eyes. She was wearing a long- sleeve black shirt and skirt with black pants.

"Grandfather, Darius and I have located the key."

Guile chuckled. "Well done, Ileana. Zane, you and Janus go retrieve the item, will you?"

The blond boy smiled and placed his hood back on. "Of course." Janus merely scowled and followed him out.


	6. Chapter Three I

(Hey, um, did you guys figure out the major plot twist I encoded within the last segment of the chapter? Huh, don't worry about it; it'll be revealed soon enough. I also found out today that Darius is a real name!)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Three: Lost Forever I

Janus scratched his head. "So, this Orion, what about it?" Zane stopped his silent pace and turned around. "Orion is the great generator used to harness the planet's energy. My master discovered it three years ago."

"Okay, and what about this key?" Zane smiled. "There are two keys required to activate Orion and release it from its underground tomb."

Zane continued to walk, but quickly stopped. "It seems the ruin is here. We found it much faster than I thought," he stated as he took out a small gem. It suddenly flashed, and the ground began to shake. An incredibly large structure started to pierce the ground, creeping up.

"Prepare yourself, Janus, we must tread carefully." Zane then began to walk up to the ruin, leaving Janus in awe.

Aaron studied his sword outside the inn, the sun beginning to rise. He never could sleep late; he did not have the leisure. He sighed before noticing a strange obstruction in the sky. There was something blocking out most of the rising sun.

Aaron placed his sword back in its sheath. "What is that?" He glanced back at the inn before walking in that direction, curious of the object.

Virginia silently ate her scrambled eggs. It was close to noon, and none of them had seen Aaron since the previous night.

Todd approached her, carrying a book. "Miss Virginia, I've just completed this book, and I was wondering if you would like to read it."

Virginia brushed a small strand of hair away and smiled. "Sure, haven't read a good one in a while."

Enrique then walked up to the table and sat down across from Virginia. "Hello Virginia, and your name is…"

"Todd; Todd McCleney."

"Oh yes, Todd, well good morning. Where's uh, Jetty boy?"

Todd shook his head. "I haven't seen him, nor Mr. Aaron." Virginia stood up. "I guess I'll go look for him." She then hurriedly walked out of the inn, leaving Todd and Enrique alone. "Hey, is she Jet's girl?"

Todd sat down. "No, but I'm very sure she likes him." Enrique nodded. "What about Jet?" Todd shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. He's complex; in a way he's different, but then again, he's not."

As Enrique was about to respond, Aaron entered the room. "Where are the others?" he asked slowly, glancing around. Todd stood up. "Aaron, where have you been all this morning?"

He rubbed his right temple. "I found a ruin, but it was different. It's about three miles away from the inn. I decided to come back and tell you all."

Enrique stretched his arms. "We might as well go check it out." Aaron nodded. "It felt strange, as if it was familiar."

Jet stared at his hand, thinking the events, since Haruko was unleashed, through. "I have to learn how to control this power. I know that's why Janus attacked me; it was something about the power," Jet thought.

"Hey Jet!" The silver- haired Drifter grimaced at Virginia's interruption. "So, what are you doing here?"

Jet glanced at the ground. "I was thinking… until you said, 'Hey Jet!'."

Virginia scratched her nose. "Sorry, but the others were wondering where you were. By the way, do you know where Aaron is?"

He shook his head. "Haven't seen him." She shrugged. "You know, it's nice to see you again Jet. Having you around reminds me of when Clive and Gallows were with us; I already miss them."

Jet closed his eyes. "Haven't given them a second thought," he stated before walking back to the inn.

Virginia sighed. "I know you don't really feel that way, you just get all huffy about it," she thought.

As she was going back inside, Aaron walked out. "Oh, Virginia, are you ready for a small ride?"

"What?"

He rubbed his forehead. "I found a strange ruin this morning about three miles from the inn. Todd and Enrique suggest we check it out, as do I."

Virginia nodded. "I've never seen a ruin in these parts, yeah, let's go. Besides, with Janus roaming around, we have to be careful,"

Guile inspected the ruin. "How interesting… Hmm, we better check on Janus and Zane."

"Do you think he'll come?" asked Ileana. Guile nodded. "Oh yes, and we have to be ready."


	7. Chapter Three II

(Let's see if I can stay up long enough to finish the chapter…

Dark Link: Hey, Teefa, you single?"

Didn't I put you in THE CLOSET? Besides that, I think she has a boyfriend.

Dark Link: Where does he live! Dark Link grabs a knife and hockey mask.

Damn! Stupid Dark Link! Oh well, if I survive this and stop him from killing your boyfriend, can you each donate two bucks to charity? If you do, I think you saved a person's life… You're not going to travel, like thousands of miles to kill someone because you're jealous! Points to Dark Link.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Three: Lost Forever II

Enrique yawned before stretching his arms. "How long until we get there?" he asked as the group neared the ruin.

"We're close, just a few more minutes," Aaron replied as Jet walked up to him. "I hope you know what you're getting us into; I didn't wake up early to get my ass burnt."

Aaron chuckled. "Don't worry; you could've stayed behind at the inn. I was just curious as to why this ruin was here. I'd never seen it before."

Jet shrugged as Todd ran up. "Wait, I think there's an entrance," he stated as the structure became viewable.

The group quickened their pace and finally reached the ruin. Aaron's mouth widened slightly. "You're right. I hadn't noticed there was an entrance."

"But wouldn't that mean someone's gone in already?"

Aaron nodded. "It's very possible, but all it really does is make it look that much more suspicious. Let's go."

The interior of the ruin was composed, from what it seemed, entirely of solid glass.

"Don't you think that's weird?" asked Enrique as he studied the place. "It's weird; the ruin should be very fragile, but it's in perfect condition. I don't see anything wrong with it."

Todd nodded. "You have a point, it is a little peculiar."

Aaron sighed as he continued up the stairs that connected from the center of the room to the next floor. "We can ponder about it later, but let's hurry." Jet, Virginia, and Todd followed, but Enrique was a little hesitant. "Fine, I just have a really bad feeling about this."

Janus snorted. "Are we almost there?" Zane looked back at him. "Yes, I've just been studying this place. Each room is identical, but every time we ascend a staircase, it feels as if we're descending one."

"That's impossible," Janus stated as the sound of footsteps could be heard entering the room.

The two turned to the entrance to see Aaron and his companions enter. Zane stroked his chin. "I think I understand. It seems time is inverted here, I can feel it."

"Janus Cascade!" Virginia shouted, raising her pistols; the others grasped hold of their weapons.

"Janus, do you mind occupying them for a small amount of time as I acquire the key?" Janus smirked. "Go ahead and get your key; I have a score to settle to Princess here." Zane smiled before turning to the group and stating, "It seems time has caught up with us my friends. I have to take care of a small errand." He then began to advance up the stairs.

"Jet, go and stop him," Aaron ordered quietly. "Just me?" Jet asked. Aaron nodded. "Don't worry; we'll be done in time to help you."

The silver- haired Drifter shrugged and ran off, leaving the others to contend with Janus.

"Long time, no see, huh, Princess?" he asked, his smirk growing that much larger. Virginia scowled. "Yeah, but this time you're going down for good!"

Janus laughed and unsheathed his sword. "Just as feisty as ever; good." He then swung the sword, shooting a wave of energy at them.

The group rolled out of the way and retaliated. Virginia shot, twice, hitting him once as he jumped out of the way of the second bullet.

"Let's see you handle this; Negative Rainbow!"

The streams of energy collided with the unexpected Enrique, but Aaron and Virginia, having experienced the attack, quickly evaded it.

Virginia reloaded and attacked again, but Janus disappeared and reappeared behind her, preparing to strike. However, Aaron read his move and assaulted the immortal with a combo of slashes. Virginia then fired a few rounds, and the overall impact sent him crashing through one of the many pillars which lined the rooms.

"Done yet, Janus?" Virginia called, a sly smile appearing on her face. The blue- haired warrior shakily stood up, and dusted himself off. "I'm just warming up, Princess, you should know that by now."

He then raised his left index and middle fingers, shouting, "Proton Beam!"

Virginia and Aaron jumped to the side, and Enrique scurried away. However, just as Enrique was about to counter, Janus shifted his open palm in that direction, causing a small explosion which knocked him into the wall.

He then raised the sword and a purple aura surrounded it. Multiple small energy orbs floated up beside the blade as Janus aimed it at his two remaining adversaries. "Here's a new attack, and you're all the first to witness it; Blazing Impact!"

The many energy orbs raced at Virginia and Aaron. She quickly ducked behind a pillar, but Aaron quickly deflected some of the weak orbs with his sword and leapt into the air, bringing his sword in a downward motion to slash Janus. His enemy quickly raised the sword to block the attack, but Aaron swiftly landed and impaled Janus in the abdomen.

He removed his weapon as Virginia began to use Gatling and unleash all of her rounds.

After she was out, Aaron executed one final combo, his last slash knocking Janus into the staircase.

"I'd be surprised if he got up from that," he stated, swinging his sword in the air to remove any blood while it was still fresh.

Virginia nodded while she reloaded. "Yeah, but what about Enrique; he's hurt."

"He's fine," Todd stated, inspecting him. "Just a few minor bruises and scratches; you basically avoided the main power of the attack. You didn't have that much contact with the shattered glass either."

Enrique stood up. "Whatever, at least I tried to fight and not hide behind a pillar."

Todd smiled. "Sorry, it's just that I really don't have much experience with fighting, and have only wielded an ARMs once or twice."

"Some help you are," he muttered as they began to advance up the stairs.

Zane finally entered the main chamber. A great altar was located in the back of the chamber, and small waterfalls fell on the walls. Their crashing noises were the only sound in the emptiness as he approached the altar, studying the intricate golden object resting on the structure.

He was just about to grasp it when a series of bullets crashed against the glass steps.

"Hold on, but you're going to have to deal with me before you touch that."

Zane turned to see Jet holding his ARMs in an attack position. "How interesting, but I didn't expect less from the second user of the planet's energy; the Filgaia sample, or perhaps imitation?"

Jet gritted his teeth. "Call me whatever you want, but I'm not letting you do whatever you're going to do."

Zane laughed. "Oh well, then I suppose we have to resort to violence," he stated while fixating his right hand under his cloak. He then unstrapped a golden ARMs from his side. It had a somewhat large cannon for the barrel and was powered by a small drill which could be seen within the gun next to the trigger.

"Whenever you're ready… Adam."

(I was finally able to get Dark Link back inside THE CLOSET.

Kratos: What was all that commotion? Are you all right? You have a small scratch on your cheek.

I'm perfectly fine. Oh well, Happy New Year's! Oh, and by the way, you don't have to donate two dollars if you don't want to.)


	8. Chapter Three III

(What's gotten into me to make me update so much? Well, it's not important.

Dark Link: Why did you have to hit me so hard in the head…

It's something about protecting my readers, well actually my reader.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Three: Lost Forever III

Jet quickly rolled behind a pillar to avoid the mainstream of the shots. He then raised his weapon and retaliated, but Zane avoided the bullets with the ease.

"Dammit! This is like fighting my damn self!" Jet thought as he rolled through another round of bullets. He then fired again, causing Zane to shift behind a pillar.

"What is he doing, toying with me!" Jet thought once more, as it seemed they were both equal in wielding ARMs.

"Who could've brought Janus back?" Virginia thought aloud. Aaron shrugged. "The fact that he's associated with that boy also brings up suspicion."

Todd sighed. "What about Mr. Jet? Who knows how powerful that guy is?"

Aaron nodded. "Yes, let's hurry."

"Why are you holding back?" Jet shouted as he reloaded. Zane smiled. "Now, Adam, we wouldn't want any harm to come to you, now would we?"

Jet gritted his teeth and ran out into the open. "I don't have time to play stupid kid games with you! Why do you want that thing, and who exactly are you!"

Zane held his gun at his side. "I am the fifth member of the Order of Osiris; Zane Ichigawa."

Jet smirked. "Thanks, Zane, but do you mind not calling me Adam?"

The blonde boy shook his head. "Not at all, Jet."

Jet's smile dropped as he raised his Airget- Lambh. "Thanks again," he stated as he shot the weapon, the bullets colliding with Zane's left shoulder.

"That… was an unfair tactic," he announced while cupping his shoulder. Jet smiled. "Yeah, but when the odds are against you, you have to bend the rules a little."

Zane grinned. "Yes, you're correct," he stated as he pointed his gun upwards as crimson energy radiated around it.

He then aimed it at Jet. "I intended to have some more fun, but I guess you're too good for that." He fired the blast of energy, giving Jet no time to react as the blast quickly made contact with him, causing a massive explosion.

"That was a Magnum K bullet; they're extremely rare."

"Maybe, but you're not the only one with Magnums."

Zane's eyes widened. "Impossible! You shouldn't even be able to stand!"

However, as the smoke dissipated, Jet's figure appeared as he aimed his ARMs at Zane, the top hatch open revealing the Magnum barrel. "Let's see you block this!" he yelled, firing the bullet at the bewildered Zane.

The shell exploded in a flash of bright blue light. Jet shielded his eyes as he heard the glass around his opponent shake and shatter.

"It hasn't been that long since I was forced to use one of those," he thought as the smoke began to clear.

"Jet, do you think me a fool? You don't know how to control the planet's energy yet, but I can just as easily harness it."

"What! You mean Janus and I aren't the only ones!"

Zane smiled as the smoke cleared. "No, we members of the Order use the Onakasa gems, the gems used in the ancient war, to harness the planet's energy. Of course, it is more like a substitution than the real thing."

Jet gritted his teeth. "So, you used a barrier like I did?" Zane nodded. "Yes, but I'm sure you didn't use it intentionally; your thoughts and fear of the attack triggered it, am I right?"

Jet glanced at the floor, and responded, "I guess you're right."

However, the chamber began to tremble as the glass behind the altar gave away. Both Zane and Jet turned their heads in that direction to see Guile walk into the chamber.

"M- Master! What are you doing here?" Zane asked surprised. Guile smiled. "Do not worry Zane, Ileana and I came to assist you if problems arose." He quickly scanned the room, noticing Jet as the only other one in it.

"Where is Janus?" Zane nodded. "I allowed him to keep Jet's allies busy as I obtained the key."

The older man nodded. "I see… So, how have you been, Jet?" Jet looked up, surprised of the man knowing his name. "How do you… know I am?"

Guile sighed. "I've known you since you were a child. You were good friends with my grandson."

Jet's eyes widened in realization. "Aaron; you're his-," but before Jet could complete the statement, Virginia and the others entered the chamber.

"Ah, so I see you're all here," Guile stated as Virginia grasped her pistols. "Who are you?" she asked. He smiled. "I'd be glad to answer that question; I am Guile Dragio, founder and first member of the Order of Osiris."

Aaron's eyes widened as he inspected the man, his right hand grasping the hilt of his sword. "It can't be you, can it?" he asked while stepping up. Guile smiled. "Oh, but it is Aaron; it has been quite a long time."

"Try twelve years!" Aaron shouted. "You abandoned me and took my sister! Do you have any idea how horrible that was!"

A rage Aaron had never felt before slowly grew within him. He felt like killing the man in front of him; making him suffer.

"So I see you're just as pathetic and whiney as ever. I thought you would've matured and grown up, but you're still that scared and lonely little boy I left back at that forsaken town. I did what was best for Ileana; I knew how to cure her disease. Could you have done that? No."

Aaron fell silent and replied. "Is she all right?" Guile nodded. "She's perfectly fine, quite the warrior if I may."

The swordsman gritted his teeth. "How dare you; I knew you were insane, but why did you have to drag her into this!"

Aaron unsheathed his sword and rushed at his grandfather, preparing to strike him down. He ignored Virginia's plea to stop and brought his sword down.

However, just as the sword was about to collide with Guile's chest, another sword blocked the attack.

All of the anger Aaron held had been unleashed within that one attack, and it was gone as he focused on the person who had blocked his blade.

He recognized her immediately; his sister, Ileana had swiftly stopped the attack.

Aaron grew numb as she quickly kicked him to the ground.

"You see Aaron, you can't beat me, and you never will." With that, he grabbed the key from the altar and shouted "It has been nice to see you all!"

Janus entered the room as well, leaping onto the altar. "Yeah, we'll settle the score later Princess."

He then walked through the exit while Zane smiled and nodded, quickly following him out. Guile then left and Ileana did as well, stealing a glance at her brother.

The chamber shook for a few seconds before the room became completely quiet.

"Virginia, could we please find them? I cannot allow whatever my grandfather has planned to pass," Aaron stated. Virginia nodded and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Of course we can; you're not the only one who has to deal with them. I have to make sure Janus goes and stays down."

Aaron turned to face her. "Thank you."

(This plot twist I had encoded within like the sixth or fifth chapter.)


	9. Chapter Four

(I'm going to make this chapter longer so I can get to the part of the story that I want to, and you all will probably enjoy. However, it's not Jet and Virginia kissing, so whatever. Oh, and on a side note, whenever I talk in the commentary, I'm talking to you, Teefa, so just wanted to make sure you understood that.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Four: The Second Key

"So I see you've returned," Darius stated as he brushed his hand through his spiky red hair. Zane smiled. "Yes, and fortunately we acquired the key."

Darius closed his black eyes and thought for a moment. The hallway they stood in branched off from the central hall; there were seven hallways in total.

"I've been thinking Zane," he started, "do we really need Jet Enduro?"

Zane glanced at the floor. "Technically, no, we don't need him. However, the activation of Orion is that much assured if his life force used."

Darius nodded. "Yes, I know that, but what about Janus? Couldn't he make a fine substitution?"

Zane stroked his chin. "Yes, the thought crossed my mind as well. His energy is unstable though; not as finely tuned as Jet's."

Darius smiled. "But it could work, and besides, who wants that pretty boy around, anyway? All he wants is power, but we're aiming for a much higher goal."

"So, that's your plan; are you going to go through with it?" Darius shook his head as he began to walk away. "No, not yet at least; we can still use him for some petty work. As for now, I'll take care of the second key. You rest and prepare for Orion's activation. It will be soon, and I'll make sure those Drifters don't come close to stopping us."

He then placed his hood on and walked off, leaving Zane to wonder. "We have our own plans, but who knows what Master Guile is thinking."

Jet sighed as he leaned against the inn near the entrance; he had his arms crossed. He had not seen Aaron since the day before, and now they were all preparing to leave, and he was not sure where they were going.

Virginia then walked outside, glancing around. "I was wondering where you were?" she asked when he was spotted. "Are you ready?"

Jet shrugged. "You all have no idea where you're going; I can't say I'm completely ready." Virginia sighed and leaned against the wall beside him. "I know that, but we can't just let them do whatever they want to do. We fought so hard to restore Filgaia, and now it's slowly regenerating. We can't let all of our work go to waste!"

Jet glanced at her. "I guess, but you still don't know where we're going."

"Then why don't we wait until they call us."

They both turned to see Aaron walk up on the porch. "Where have you been all day?" Virginia asked, scratching her nose. He smiled and responded, "I've just been thinking. We should wait until they look for the key, and then we find them; they're probably awaiting us as well."

Virginia smiled. "Yeah, we might as well stay for an extra day," she stated before walking back in.

Aaron's smile gradually faded as he turned his head to Jet. "I know where the second key is."

Jet turned to him. "Oh really? So where is it?"

"At a place called Crab's Shell, which is a landmark east of here."

"Okay, and how do you know that?" Aaron sighed. "It's hard to tell. From what I remember of a legend my grandfather told me, there was a labyrinth of truth located under the shell of a crab. The landmark was named that because it resembles an actual shell of a crab, and since the oceans of ancient are gone, it's our only lead."

Jet nodded. "But you're not sure about it, right?" Aaron nodded before a small silence occurred. "It must hurt, knowing that your own grandfather is involved in this, doesn't it?" Jet suddenly asked.

Aaron shrugged. "Whatever this Order of Osiris wants, my grandfather is in charge of it, and to tell you the truth, it makes me feel like killing him."

"You don't seem like that type of guy."

"I know, and I normally wouldn't; but the circumstances are different right now, and I'm not in a whole cheery mood."

Jet closed his eye. "You sure have a way of not showing it," he commented. Aaron glared at him from the corner of his eye as he opened the door. "Maybe, but I'd say anger is just a way of expressing what you really feel."

He then walked inside, closing the door. Jet considered going in, but decided on taking a walk instead.

Enrique examined his weapon as he strapped it to his arm. "Quite an interesting selection of horses," he remarked to Virginia as she walked outside. "Sorry, but they were the best I could get on my trip to the Baskar Colony. A friend of mind convinced the elder to lend them to me."

Each of the animals was a light brown color, with a shade of black spotted here and there.

Enrique shrugged and climbed up the one nearest him, only to find it tamed and almost comfortable. "I was expecting them to be moody, but I guess those Baskars know how to raise their horses."

Virginia climbed on hers as well, undoing her ponytail and feeling her hair.

"So, are you certain you need no help?" Zane asked for the third time as Darius placed the Onakasa gem around his neck. "Don't worry so much, our plan will go smoothly as long as we keep it silent. As for right now, I'll venture to the Silver Maze and get the second key, and after that Orion will be active, but the only way we draw the moon to Filgaia is if we charge Orion with the planet's own energy."

Darius smiled slightly as the gem glowed and he warped out of the room.

"How daring of you two." Zane turned his head slightly to the voice. "So, I suppose you heard Darius's little scheme?"

"You're not involved?" the man inquired. "I don't really mind, and he was the one who came up with it; are you willing to publicize it?"

The man shook his head as he removed his hood. "On the contrary, Zane, that plan is quite intriguing. You've caught my interest, and besides, Darius is going to get the second key for us by himself, which is very good for us. I have to say though, Janus is a threat, considering we can't kill or destroy him."  
Zane shrugged. "Darius should have thought about that, but his intellect can only go so far."

"I agree; he might just be as expendable as Janus." Zane turned to him. "You're not serious about that, are you William? Darius is quite an asset to our cause. He is stronger than both of us."

William smiled. "Perhaps, but Master Guile might just have his own agenda for us after Orion is powered, and besides, there is also Ileana."

"She is completely loyal to him, he is her grandfather after all, and she could quite possibly defeat us in combat."

William nodded. "Yes, but if we use our Drifter friends to our advantage, that could all change."

"What do you mean?"

"Her brother is part of their team."

Todd had grasped onto Jet's shirt for balance as the horse was traveling quite quickly. "Are you sure you know where we're going?" Virginia asked Aaron as they rode.

He nodded. "If I'm correct, we should be there in about twenty minutes."

"Jeez, I've never even heard of this Crab's Shell and you're talking like it's the most common thing in the world."

Aaron chuckled. "When I was a child, it was quite the talk around town. The town's mayor had found it on one of his rounds, so it became well known. It had already been named though, and it's located on a few maps, but not many."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, and before long, Aaron ordered them to stop.

"This should be it," he announced while dismounting the horse and walking over to a great boulder resting on a somewhat large monolith. There was a small wooden sign located to the left of it.

The others quickly dismounted and joined him as he inspected the boulder. "It seems to me that they beat us to it again, but we should be able to catch up this time."

He crouched down and noticed a crack large enough for a grown man to slip through. Aaron signaled to them and slid down, followed by Virginia, Jet, Todd, and finally Enrique.

"What is this place?" Virginia asked in awe of her surroundings. Jet merely scanned it while Todd and Enrique walked around.

"It's a maze; a labyrinth, just like in the legend. It's built completely out of marble and silver, and I'm pretty sure this key they're after is at the center of it."

"Then I suggest we split into groups, what do you think Aaron?" Virginia asked as he nodded. "Yes, but if you don't mind, I'll go by myself."

Todd thought for a moment. "All right, and I'll go with Enrique," he stated, earning a glare from the black- haired Drifter.

"Great, now I'm stuck with the squirt," he thought, which in truth left Jet and Virginia as the final team.

"That Todd, he set me up with her for a reason. Doesn't he know when to just give up!" Jet thought as Virginia glanced at him.

"Okay; Enrique, Todd, you two take the left path; Virginia and Jet, you guys go with the right, and I'll go through the middle one."

They all nodded and when their separate ways.

"Don't you think it's beautiful Jet; the way it shines with the water flowing through the floor and all?" Jet shrugged, replying, "Whatever."

Virginia frowned as puddles of black began to form along the walls and floor. Jet grasped his Airget- Lambh as Scryers appeared and prepared to attack. Virginia grabbed her ARMs and avoided a strike while firing back.

The path Enrique and Todd took seemed to be a straight one, hitting a stairwell, which lead to a bottom floor. "Huh, should we take it?" he asked while Todd stared down it. "It's the only path, so I suppose so."

He quickly began to descend it as Enrique hesitantly followed. After a few minutes, the two found themselves standing on a circular platform with water flowing around it. There was a large glass tube which stood through the middle, presumably heading lower, and a door at the opposite side of the room.

"Hmm, I guess we go through there," Enrique stated, beginning to walk towards it, but an invisible force knocked him back as the stairwell suddenly lifted and merged with the ceiling, destroying the only available exit.

"Guess you do," stated a voice as its owner appeared. He was wearing the same type of cloak as worn by Zane and Guile, and was holding a small bronze mechanism in his hand and a silver card in the other.

He then held them up, stating, "They second key, and the activation device; both found in one ruin; how convenient."

"Who the heck are you!" Enrique exclaimed as he stood up from the blow, dusting himself off.

"I am the fourth member of the Order of Osiris, Darius. It's nice to meet you two," he explained while sliding a hand through his spiky red hair.


	10. Chapter Five

(This chapter's normal length, sorry. Anyway, the part I was talking to you about will be soon.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Five: Silence and Fear

The chamber's temperature began to lower as Aaron approached the center of the room. Darkness began to slowly enshroud the walls and floor, but Aaron disregarded it, already knowing what it meant.

A large glass elevator mechanism stood in the exact center of the maze. He walked towards it, placing his hand on it and feeling it. "It must lead down, but would that mean there is no exit to the room?"

Aaron crouched down, inspecting the elevator. "How do I activate it?" he thought as the chamber darkened tremendously. Scryers began to appear and Aaron stood up, unsheathing his sword.

"So, where are the rest of your friends? I was interested in meeting them," Darius stated while smiling.

"Do you think I'm actually going to tell you? What have you done with that key?" Enrique responded.

"Relax, relax; I have it right here," he replied, removing the bronze key from his cloak and dangling it in the air.

"Give it here!" Enrique exclaimed, rushing at him, but Darius merely stepped out of the way.

"What did you think; that I was just going to hand it over to you like a merry little boy? Sorry, but my partners and I need this little trinket."

Enrique gritted his teeth. "Okay, and do you mind explaining to me why you need it?"

Darius sighed. "It's very simple. You see, my master has this plan of reviving the ancient land known as Crystaelius. Nowadays, it's only a bedtime story told by parents to little babies as their bedtime story, but my master believes he can accomplish it, and I'm very sure he can. But to do that, we have to draw the moon to Filgaia and merge them together, but in order to do that, we need the Onakasa generator, Orion. We're going to use it to increase Filgaia's energy tenfold, thus increasing the gravitational pull which would result in the moon crashing into the planet. However, by mixing the power of the moon with the power of Filgaia, planetary re- formatting would occur, and the two would fuse together."

Enrique cocked an eyebrow up. "To tell you the truth, that sounded like a bunch of baloney, not that I like it as much as ham."

Darius scowled. "How dare you make a mockery of the Order of Osiris! You'll pay!"

He then removed a short green rod from his cloak, which grew as a blade appeared at the end of it. "Let's see your petty little guns match my power of ice!"

Darius proceeded to jamming his staff into the floor, causing a wave of ice and snow to quickly freeze the entire room.

Enrique began to rub his arms, attempting to keep warm. "I-It's d-damn f-f-freezing!" he exclaimed as Darius chuckled.

"It's perfect," he stated before dashing at Enrique and swinging his spear horizontally. The black- haired Drifter ducked and rolled to the side before his opponent speared the ground.

Enrique quickly stood up and fired a few rounds at Darius, who easily began swinging his staff counter- clockwise, deflecting every single one of the bullets back.

Enrique crouched down to avoid the shells as they crashed through the ice, but Darius held out his hand as Enrique stood up, causing his right leg to freeze.

"What the…!" he exclaimed as Darius prepared another attack. "I'm disappointed; our little bout didn't last very long."

As he was about to strike Enrique down, Todd hurled himself at Darius knocking him down.

The red- haired warrior's spear slid away from him as he recovered from the fall. "Damn kid!" he shouted while kicking Todd to the ground.

"I guess I'll finish you first, so that you're friend can watch you suffer," Darius stated, raising his weapon once he grasped it. Todd gritted his teeth and stood up, but he attacked, only to cause Enrique to unleash a series of bullets, which collided with his right side near his rib cage.

Darius winced in pain as fell against the glass tube. Todd, seeing the opportunity, ran over to Enrique and began pounding his fist into the ice surrounding his leg.

Darius placed his hand over his side, cupping the wound. "Dammit! I let myself open for one second and he nails me! Well, all that matters is that I got the key," he thought before holding his Onakasa gem with his left index finger and thumb. However, as much as he concentrated and fed his energy to it, the gem would not respond and warp him out.

Cursing under his breath, he ran over to the door and placed his hand on it. After a moment, it opened, and he ran through it.

Enrique noticed this and began running after him once his leg was free, with Todd following in haste.

Jet and Virginia dashed through the corridors, trying to find a way out. The Scryers were growing in numbers and surrounding them, leaving no other option but escape.

"Are they endless or something!" Virginia asked while shooting at a few. Jet did not answer and turned a corner, feeling they were close to the exit. He shot through some that were in the way and turned one last left, seeing a large gate plastered in the wall.

"Finally; it was getting damn crowded over there!" he thought while running over to the gate, inspecting it for a way to make it open.

Virginia backed into him, trying to keep them safe from the onslaught. Jet grew infuriated as swept his hand over the gate in anger, but it suddenly glowed and opened. He quickly grabbed Virginia's arm and pulled her through as it began to close.

The chamber was pitch black while she rubbed her arm, stating, "You didn't have to be so harsh, you know. I think you made a bruise."

Jet sighed. "Yeah, well, I wasn't thinking about being a gentleman and helping you through because we were trying to be killed and the gate closed like two seconds after I opened it."

Virginia shook her head as the room they were in began to move, and light flooded through it.

Large windows cut from the side showed the large amount of water from the room. It illuminated some of the room, up to the point where they could see each other.

The room they were in seemed to act like an elevator, slowly gliding upwards from the previous chamber.

Aaron slashed five more times at the flood of Scryers, fiddling with the control panel beside the elevator.

He aimlessly pressed different buttons and such, attempting to turn it on while keeping the beasts at bay.

Fortunately, the glass tube suddenly slid open. Noticing this, Aaron quickly jumped in, evading a few swipes and attacks while sheathing his weapon away.

Leaning against the elevator wall he let out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. A slight drop in temperature occurred when it passed a room covered in ice, but the elevator quickly came to a halt in a small room.

The door slid open and Aaron stepped out; he walked over to what seemed to be the only pathway out.

"Oh well…" he thought before walking through it.

"Hold on!" Enrique ordered as he and Todd chased after Darius who was way ahead of them. The passage they took began to stretch upwards, slowing them down slightly.

Darius glanced back at them for a moment before stopping at the exit. He quickly pushed on it, causing it to open. Bright light radiated from the exit as he ran through; Todd and Enrique quickly rushed through the door as well.

Their surroundings changed immediately, signifying they were out of the ruin and back on Filgaia.

Darius continued to run, only to be stopped by the fact that they were now standing on a canyon.

"Give it up; there's nowhere else to run!" Enrique shouted while raising his ARMs. Darius turned back to them. He grinned slightly before holding his Onakasa gem and suddenly disappearing.

"What the heck was that!" Enrique exclaimed as Aaron, Jet, and Virginia ran out of the passage; it seemed the separate pathways they took led to the same exit.

"Todd, Enrique; are you guys okay!" Virginia inquired as she ran up to them. Enrique hurriedly nodded and pointed to where Darius once stood. "We're fine, but that Order of Osiris guy got away!"  
"So, one of them did beat us; did he get the key?" Aaron asked. Todd nodded. "Yes, he did, but he also told us their plan about wanting to merge Filgaia and the moon together to create Crystaelius!"

"Crystaelius? Daddy told me about that once, a long time ago, but he said it was a myth," Virginia stated.

Jet snorted. "What does it matter? We've still got to stop them from doing it."

Suddenly however, the ground began to shake violently as the ocean of sand down below began to split. "What's going on now!" Virginia exclaimed as a massive building arose from the sand. Seven towers surrounded one larger, central tower. A great metal plate suck out from the bottom, as if to absorb energy.

"What the Hell is that!" Jet and Enrique yelled in unison as Aaron stepped up.

"Grandfather… what have you done?"

(Just so you know, I love you guys… No, I'm just joking, but thanks for sticking around this long. Really, thanks.)


	11. Chapter Six I

(And I'm going to try to update at least twice today, because today is the last day of vacation and then I have to go back to school tomorrow… Dammit! #!)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Six: Confrontation I

Darius sped up the central tower, eager to reach the top. The chance to activate Orion was within their grasp, and they had to take advantage of it.

"Master Guile!" he exclaimed while bursting into the generator room. "You can come, Darius," Guile stated from the balcony.

He nodded and walked out of the room and onto the balcony.

"So, William tells me you've gathered both the key and activation card?" Darius nodded, removing them from his cloak.

"You've done well Darius, thank you." He then snatched the items from his hands and strode into the generator room.

"You have done well Darius, now just sit back and watch our hard work pay off," William stated as he leaned against the wall. Darius only glared at him is a bright flash of light occurred and Orion trembled extremely violently, rising up into the air.

"Hey, do you guys think they already activated that Orion thingy?" Enrique asked while Virginia thought. "If they got what they needed, then, yes."

Aaron nodded. "They must be operating from there; if we strike them now we can finish this!"

Virginia nodded and sighed, raising her arm. "Everyone, back away a little; I'm calling our transportation; Lombardia!" she shouted.

A few moments passed before the massive dragon suddenly landed. Enrique's eyes widened in fear and horror. "What is that!" he exclaimed. Jet answered, "It's a dragon, named Lombardia."

"A dragon? I thought those things were a legend?"

Aaron smiled. "It doesn't matter now; at least we have a ride."

"Lombardia, these other people are our friends; they're harmless," Virginia told the dragon, which nodded somewhat. "Thy is fine with the fact; Thou should trust thyself as well."

Virginia giggled. "Thank you for understanding."

They all then climbed into the small unit on Lombardia's back. She then rose into the air and began to make way for Orion.

"Amazing, isn't it?" William asked as Darius glanced around. "I guess so, but what is that?"

He pointed to a dark shape in the sky which seemed to be traveling in their direction.

William stroked his chin. "Master Guile, it seems our friends have a way of reaching us." Guile walked out on the balcony and crossed his arms. "So, they acquired the trust of a dragon? How interesting; prepare the cannons, I don't want them coming near the generator."

William nodded and walked out of the room, while Darius just stared.

"So, what exactly's our plan?" Jet asked. Virginia shrugged. "Um, I guess pounding them head on."

"However, they're not just going to allow us to attack them," Aaron stated. Virginia nodded. "I know, but if that generator is in there we have to destroy it."

As she finished stating this though, multiple beams of energy sailed past them. "What was that!" Enrique exclaimed, fearing for his life.

"It's Orion's method of defense; it was built for the ancient war anyway," Aaron replied.

Virginia gritted her teeth. "That leaves us no other choice but fighting back; Lombardia, prepare the Dragonic Gun Blaster! As you're charging, cover us with missiles!" she ordered.

The dragon roared and unleashed the flurry of attacks. The missiles dismantled some of the cannons and a few collided with Orion itself.

"Master Guile, do we prepare for an invasion?" William asked, re- entering the room. Guile nodded. "It seems we have no choice; go greet them once they arrive. Meanwhile, have Zane and Darius activate the shield to lessen the damage from their attacks. I will not allow them to destroy what I have sought after all these years!"

He nodded and exited the room while a bright flash occurred outside. "Alright, Lombardia; fire the gun!" Virginia shouted as the Dragon opened her mouth to reveal a powerful sphere of energy. In a devastating roar, she fired the blast. It collided with Orion in full force, completely destroying the shield and causing heavy damage to the building.

Aaron thought for a moment as they flew in near Orion. "If someone else is willing to come and assist me, I'd like to be dropped off here."

Virginia turned to him. "Are you completely positive, Aaron? We can go as one group?"

Aaron shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this," he replied. Jet stood from his seat. "Fine, I guess I'll go with you."

The swordsman stood up. "Alright then, if you would be so kind as to drop us off right here."

He pointed to a wide ledge which seemed to lead to another entrance. "We'll meet up with you later," he stated as they leapt out onto the ledge. They landed shakily but quickly continued.

Virginia sighed and had Lombardia fly up to the main entrance which had a long, large platform sticking out.

"Okay, we'll get of here; I'll call you Lombardia," Virginia stated as the dragon grunted in approval. It quickly flew off once they landed on the platform.

"So, we're just going to run in with our guns blaring hoping to win?" Enrique asked humorously. She nodded. "I hadn't really thought it out, but yeah."

"Unfortunately, I doubt you will even enter Orion," William called out to them as he walked out onto the platform, his arms behind his back.

"Who're you?" Virginia asked, grasping her ARMs. Enrique did the same as William smiled.

"I am William Black heart, third member of the Order of Osiris," he stated as he held out his hands away from his sides; dual blades slid out from the cloak as he grasped them.

Jet and Aaron quickly slid through the entrance, running down the small staircase which connected to the entrance.

They quickly ran off the stairs and through the small door, which led into a vast chamber which resembled a ballroom.

The ceiling was painted as if it was the night sky, but most of the room was painted gold. Flowers and exotic plants covered the outer rim of the circular platform, which housed a magnificent fountain in the center of it.

"What is this place?" Aaron thought aloud while studying it. Jet scanned it quickly with his eyes, noticing the staircase which led to another door on the opposite side of the room.

"It is a resting place, dear bother; a place for those with tired souls to relax."

Aaron quickly looked up to the voice to see Ileana standing before the door. She jumped down to the floor and grasped the samurai sword strapped to her side.

"Ileana, where is our grandfather! Please, I need to know!" Aaron exclaimed as she shook her head.

"Grandfather is currently busy, but I'm amazed; you still refer to him as your grandfather after running away and abandoning your family? Grandfather told me how you hated us, despised us. You decided on just running away, when you could've helped us begin a new life, and that is why I hate you!" she exclaimed.

His eyes widened. "N-No! He's been feeding you nothing but lies! He was the one who abandoned me; you were only four years old, he took advantage of you!"

"Be quiet!" she yelled. "I'll kill you before you shame our family again with your insolence!"

Ileana unsheathed her sword and held it out in front of her. The metal had a tint of blue color, and the hilt was black with a golden tip. There was what seemed like an eagle feather hanging on from the tip of the hilt.

"Fight me, Aaron! Let me see just how strong your power is compared to mine."

Aaron shook his head. "I won't fight you; I don't want to fight you! If you could just let me explain-,"

"No! We will fight!"

He sighed and glanced at his comrade. "Jet, please, go on and stop him. I have to finish things here."

Jet nodded quietly and ran to the doorway, passing Ileana on his way.

Aaron waited for Jet to leave and the door to close before grasping the hilt of his own sword.

"I see you inherited our father's sword; it was a shame you never knew him, but while my dull metal can't stand up to it, I can try."

Ileana smiled. "Good, and don't hold back."


	12. Chapter Six II

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Six: Confrontation II

William quickly evaded most of the gunshots while deflecting the others. He swiped at Virginia quickly while she backed away from it.

She grasped her pistols and fired back, but William leaped behind her and slashed her in the back.

She let out a small yelp as their opponent who directed his attention to Enrique.

Holding the blades up, a sphere of thunder formed between the; he quickly fired it at the Drifter. Enrique tried to avoid but the blast split into four multiple spheres and each collided with him.

"Can't you Drifters do more? I am not impressed," he stated while brushing a strand of his green hair aside.

He then proceeded to strike Virginia, who was beginning to recover from the attack, but she held her right gun to stop the attack and then retaliated by pulling the trigger twice.

William winced from the pain and quickly kicked her aside. Virginia's ARMs slid to the side as Enrique recuperated and began to shoot at their nemesis.

William quickly shifted to the side and crossed his blades, preparing for another thunder attack. Enrique saw through the attack however, and ran up to him, assaulting him with his right fist.

William dodged the blow and slashed Enrique under his chest, but he countered with a punch from his left fist.

The blow collided with William's right check, knocking him down. "Here you go!" Enrique shouted, preparing to finish him with his ARMs. However, the green- haired warrior rolled out of the way and knocked the Drifter down with his elbow.

"It's my turn now!" he yelled, about to charge another energy attack, but the sound of a gunshot caused an eerie silence.

William backed away as more bullets collided with his skin. With all of her remaining energy, Virginia pulled the trigger one last time and sent the bullet straight through his heart.

Enrique gritted his teeth and launched himself at their opponent, knocking him straight through the gate and into the central hall of Orion.

Todd rushed over to him and helped him up as Virginia walked in, wiping some blood from her bottom lip.

William began to stand up. "I suppose I underestimated you, but I am not going to allow you to pass!"

"Then I will." Janus slashed William in the back, causing him to fall to his knees.

"Ugh… You! I knew we shouldn't have…"

Janus smiled and kicked him to the floor. "Sorry, but I'm going to be the one to finish 'em; it's a bit of a thing I have to do."

"J-Janus!" Virginia exclaimed as he bent down to William's level. "The old geezer said he needed someone with the planet's energy, but he hasn't talked about that Jet guy in a while, so, I guess you guys were going to use me? Hmm, it would've worked, had not you been so careless."

William tried to slash him with his left blade but Janus punched to the floor. "Now, tell me, where is he? Where's the old man!"

"I'd never tell you that!" he replied. Janus chuckled. "It doesn't matter; I have a pretty good idea anyway, but thanks for all your help."

He then stood up and slashed William one final time, crushing the Onakasa gem in the process.

"I'll be back for you Princess, don't go anywhere," he stated as he started towards the generator room.

Aaron blocked the next slash, blade locking with Ileana. "Please… stop this! I refuse to fight you!"

She gritted her teeth. "You have to! I'll make you!" she shouted while kicking him next to the fountain and slashing downwards.

He shifted in back of her, causing the sword to slice cleanly through the ornamental statue which stood in the center of the fountain.

She quickly turned around and slashed, but Aaron avoided it and turned round to her back and grasped her arms and holding in back of her. "Just listen to me! We can avoid this, as long as you stop and listen! You can help us!"

"No, you listen! After sixteen years you finally show your face, and think I'm going to listen to your lies!"

She then smashed her left elbow into his stomach, turning around and kicking him, then slashing.

He quickly back- flipped from the kick and grasped his sword, blocking the attack and delivering a slash to her face, but holding back and grazing her right cheek.

"I don't want to hurt you, but if you won't stop you give me no choice."

She smiled. "Good, that was the way I wanted it from the beginning!"

Ileana then grasped her sword and executed a combo of slashes. Aaron blocked each with ease and slashed downward. She twirled around and continued the flurry of attacks.

Aaron could hardly block each slash. He could feel years of anger and hatred, finally being unleashed, within each strike.

"Why are you still holding back! I told you, fight me!" she yelled as he swings intensified.

Aaron gritted his teeth. "Fine then!" He swung her sword out her hand and kicked her to the ground, bringing his own blade down dangerously close to her forehead.

Aaron tried to control his breathing as she looked up at him from her crouched position. "Do it, kill me."

His breathing slowed tremendously before he placed his sword away. "No; while you may think I hate you and our grandfather, I don't. I was in a horrid condition when I was left alone in the town, and I was given a home by the Enduros. But then the town caught fire, and Elliot Endure had become one of the Council of Seven, leaving only his wife, Jet and Todd. His wife and Todd survived, but Jet died, and then Todd disappeared. I decided on trying to find them, and that was really the only reason for me to live. I had given up on you, but you're here, and Jet is alive, even though he's not the true Jet that became my friend, he's the closest thing that'll ever exist."

Aaron smiled. "So please, give me a chance to explain."

Ileana scowled. "What are you trying to do? Butter me up with your kind little words? I am not so easily fooled, and you should have killed me when you had the chance!"

She then grasped her sword and impaled him slightly in his left abdomen, kicking him across the floor when she stood up.

"Now, you'll pay for your hatred!" she yelled while holding the sword high. "Grandfather contributed the time to teach me the Soaring Eagle technique I'm sure you never learned."

Aaron sat up on his right knee. "No, that move, don't do it! It's too powerful for you to control. It almost disabled my right hand!"

"That was because you are a weak fool and didn't know how to handle the move; I on the other hand know exactly how to use it!"

Ileana then dashed at Aaron holding the blade up with all her might. He gritted his teeth and quickly reached for his sword, grasping it and holding it in front of him just as she attacked.

The force of the impact was incredible. It burned all of Aaron's muscles as he tried to hold it back, but he knew it was useless. The attack absorbed the life force and becoming more powerful with the more life and adrenaline the wielder had.

The attack suddenly broke through Aaron's sword, shattering it and knocking him back.

Ileana's breathing enhanced as she fell to her knees, feeling extremely exhausted. Aaron slowly stood up, glancing at his shattered sword he did. He sighed and placed whatever was left on the hilt back in his sheath and ran over to his sister.

"Ileana! Are you all right!" he exclaimed as he grasped her shoulders.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled pushing him down. "I have no need for your assistance!"

Jet ran up the staircase that led from the door. "I hope you know what you're doing Aaron; we need you," he thought as he approached the exit door.

Opening it, Jet found himself in a small chamber, with a separate entrance door located at the other end of the room.

"So you've come, Jet." Zane stood on a small platform in the center of the chamber while Darius walked up beside him.

Jet snorted. "I guess I'm going to have to go through you guys, right?" Zane was about to respond when the wall blew open, revealing William clutching his side.

"What are you fools doing!"

"William, what's going on?" Darius asked. "It's over; the Drifters have defeated us. Janus has caught on to your scheme and Master Guile will most likely get rid of us."

"What are you talking about!" Zane exclaimed as he walked up to them. "I have had enough of this madness!" he replied. "I'll kill Master Guile for choosing my fate!"

Darius ran up to him. "William, calm down! We can still win if we work together!"

William shook his head. "No, Darius, it's over. All Master Guile thinks about is the generator; he just used us as pawns. We were tricked, so I am going to kill him while my life remains!"

He then stabbed Darius, knocking him back. "N-No… William!" He turned to Zane. "Take Jet, go see if it's true, while you have the chance. I'll stall William!"

"No, Darius! You won't survive!" Zane protested. "Just go!"

Zane gritted his teeth. "Fine, come on Jet, I'll take you to the generator room.

Jet nodded as Zane ran off, and the Drifter followed.


	13. Chapter Seven

(School's back… dammit! Oh well, I'll probably be able to update like once or twice every weekend. Sighs)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Seven: Failure

Guile smiled slightly as he watched the generator work. "Soon… I'll be able to weed out those obsolete, and cultivate a new world; with me as its ruler!" he thought as the entrance door shook and opened.

"Master Guile!" Zane exclaimed. "What… What is happening! William has gone insane!"

Guile turned to face both Zane and Jet. "It, is the beginning. We have been defeated by the Drifters Zane, but we have accomplished our goal; Crystaelius will be born! The myth will become reality!"

"However, you're not going to allow them to die are you? Darius and William swore their life to your cause."

Guile chuckled. "In any type of war, or battle, luck must be on your side as to not have any fellows in your group to pass away. Unfortunately, though, life is not so kind. Casualties were to be expected from an event such as this, but their lives will not be thrown away. They will be remembered for their courage, and the dream they fought for will be realized!"

"You would even say that for Ileana? She has supported you before we even joined the Order."

Guile sighed. "I have no fear for Ileana's life. I have taught her fashionably of the art of battle, and I believe she can walk away from any fight with her life. Besides that, I have not seen her around here; would you, Jet, possibly know where she is?"

Jet shook his head. "Can't, but I'm sure she's fine."

Guile smiled. "How intelligent of you to respond that way," he replied as the wall behind the door exploded, revealing the figure of Janus as the smoke cleared.

"J-Janus!" Zane exclaimed as he walked into the room, scanning it quickly. "So, the party's here; perfect. I've come to re- instate my position here, but all that really means is that I'm ending it."

Guile laughed. "Ah, so that's what you're plotting, isn't it, Mr. Cascade. I'll have you know, that by stating it, you've made yourself a middle man; you have no side, and thus you are an unneeded nuisance."

Janus smiled casually while brandishing his sword. "Well, I've had experienced of being killed; I know not to underestimate my opponents."

Guile closed his eyes. "Fine then, come show me if that experience paid off."

Janus gritted his teeth and leaped on the altar, preparing to slash the older man. The man easily caught the sword and upper- cutted Janus in the abdomen before stealing the sword and slashing him down.

"Now, Janus, you didn't think it would be that easy, did you? It shows your ignorance. I am still capable of holding my own against a fool like you."

The blue- haired warrior shouted in fury before jumping at Guile, and having the blade impale him fully.

Guile pushed the blade upward, causing Janus to slide beside him. "What you did just now showed you did underestimate me, and I'm sorry, but you must experience the loss of youth and life before you die, even if you immortal."

The Onakasa gem hanging around Guile's neck began to glow in a powerful intensity. Specks of light flew from Janus's body into the gem. They began to increase in number and speed as the gem illuminated in an invisible fury.

Janus screamed in agony as the occurrence stopped, however, the gem continued to glow as an aura of light surrounded Guile as the specks flew from the gem and began to swirl around him.

The wrinkles on the older man's face began to decrease as Janus's features aged. Guile laughed in glee as he became younger, and Janus became older.

The aura of light expanded, and exploded throughout the building.

"Ileana… stop this!" Aaron yelled as she grasped her sword. "Is pleading all you can do? Can't you see that your lies won't affect me?"

Aaron winced as he clutched his wound. "I…" However, he stopped before completing the statement. How could he think she would believe him? For sixteen years she learned from their grandfather and grew to love him. She had only barely known him for four years, and that was when she was much younger.

"I have nothing more to say; if you're going to kill me, get it over with. I'm tired of living a life with no goal, a life of nothing."

Ileana walked over to him. "I might never have known you, but why try in persuading me?" she asked as he dared not look into her eyes. If he did that, it would remind him too strongly of when they were a family, and I tried his best to care for her when their grandfather. He sighed and merely answered, "I would like to think our father would disapprove of you taking my life with his sword. Please, if you're going to do it, perform the execution with a weapon of much less value and serenity."

She watched as he stood up and removed his sheath from his side, smiling as he stood up. "If you don't mind, please use whatever remains of this sword to end my life, and if it's not too much of a problem, could you tell Jet and the others goodbye for me? I'd like them to know I was grateful for their assistance and the warm memories I may have obtained from my time with them," he stated as he handed the sheath to her.

He then closed his eyes and took a few steps back as she could only sort out what he said. "Does he really deserve to die? I… I need to know, because I would not like to say goodbye for a person who has done nothing wrong. When I looked into his eyes that brief moment at the ruin, I knew he meant no harm," she thought as he opened his eyes, awaiting the end.

However, before she could say anything, the area shook as light exploded within the room for a moment.

"Grandfather!" she muttered before running up to the exit, fearing for his safety. She gave one last glance at Aaron before dropping the sheath on the floor and proceeding up the stairs.

He sighed and walked up to the door, giving a slight wince as he grasped the sheath.

Jet and Zane shielded their eyes as the light slowly dissipated. "Yes, the power of the planet; the power I have so longed for all these years!" Guile exclaimed as he kicked what was left of Janus's body to the floor.

He dropped the sword and studied his hands. "Amazing… Such power, it is truly great!" he yelled as he touched his face and felt his arms.

"M-Master Guile!" Zane exclaimed in surprise as he and Jet removed their arms and reviewed the situation. Guile had changed from that of an elderly man to a much younger person. His hair was a light brown, somewhat spiky. His eyes were a dark green, and his current age must have been around thirty one.

What seemed to be the figure of a much older man lay at his feet. "It must be Janus," Jet thought as Guile began to laugh. "Finally, after all this time, I can complete my ideal. I have restored my youth, and I have achieved the greatest power to ever exist in reality!"

"What are you talking about?" Jet suddenly asked as Guile smiled. "It's simple; I easily absorbed Janus's energy and life force by using the Onakasa gem. I gained all of his strength and energy, thus allowing me to use the limitless power of Filgaia's energy within him. By doing this, I can now convert Orion to the second phase of planetary re- formatting."

"What's that?" Jet responded as the man glanced back at the generator. "Now that I have Filgaia's power inside me, I can control Orion, and by using its power, I can transform the entire structure into a massive Onakasa gem! However, it is in essence the one I hold around me neck; I'm just going to allow it to grow," he stated before removing a hatch from the external side of the generator and placing his Onakasa gem within the core.

"Now, watch!" he ordered as the building began to shake. The generator began to slowly become encased in the growing gem as Ileana ran into the room.

"Grandfather! What is happening!"

Guile turned to them and replied, "The second phase, Ileana. Soon, Orion itself will become a magnet, and once we power it, the moon will willingly glide toward us. Yes, my dream will finally be realized!"

He then began to laugh as the Onakasa gem began to spread across the room.

Zane turned to Jet. "I recommend you escape now, Jet. There won't be an option to soon."

"So, you're going to stay?" the silver- haired Drifter asked. Zane smiled and nodded. "I see Master Guile somewhat as the father I never had, and I only knew my mother for so long before I died. I feel this is the only path for me."

Jet nodded as Aaron ran into the room. "What's going on?" he thought aloud as Jet glanced at him. "We don't have time, but I'll explain later," he stated before grabbing his arm and beginning to run downstairs. Aaron was reluctant at first, but began to follow as the gem covered the entire room in its icy grasp.

"What the Hell is going on!" Enrique exclaimed as the structure continued to tremble. Virginia shook her head. "I don't know, but I'm sure Jet and Aaron will tell us later."

Todd sighed. "I just wish we could have helped them," he stated. Virginia nodded. "Yeah, but that William froze our bodies for a while."

He seemed in a hurry," Enrique remarked as two figures could be seen running down the central staircase.

"Look," Todd stated, "it's Jet and Aaron! They made it!"

"What are you doing!" Jet shouted. "We have to get out of here; now!" The others began to run as well as the gem began to spread much more quickly.


	14. Chapter Eight

(Yawn So, um, how have you guys been? Anyway, there isn't going to be a sequel to this, well maybe there will be, and I'll make up some ultimate evil god of destruction and blow up all of Filgaia… No, I'm just joking. Really, though, had it not been for you reading this story, I probably would have discontinued it like that Final Fantasy trilogy I had going, and to tell you the truth, I have the entire plot and storyline of that trilogy in my head. But in any case, it's all thanks to you that I completed all fort- one short chapters of 'The Demon Lord, Haruko'. I don't even know why I titled it that, but it's done now. So, do you guys want to see Ileana become good? I should right, mostly because she's the only female character I made up. Damn! Oh, all this rambling is taking up a quarter of the page in eleven font, but I feel like expressing my feelings, so get ready to listen. Uh, remember to cherish life everyday, oh yeah, go read that Final Fantasy VII story I posted about life, not that I want you to review it or anything, but I think it has that meaning to it, unlike this story, which is just a bunch of evil villains sucking the life out of other minor villains and white- haired cool guys with guns shooting everything up. You're getting tired of this, aren't you? I don't care right now, because I live almost next to Mexico in the city of Laredo, and it's Friday, and I have Monday off of school, yay. By the way, do you all like anime and all that funk? If you have a Gamecube, I recommend a game called, 'Tales of Symphonia'. It was the first and to this day, only game I beat that left me with a feeling of sorrow, because the story was over. Have you ever seen Tenchi Muyo? I forgot to mention it in my bio, oh well. I also visited your website, it was weird, in the good way though. You know, I have this thing going on about some of my stories only getting one reader, weird huh? I'm just going to stop now, so you can either read this chapter or go on buying 'Tales of Symphonia', pick one.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Eight: Renewal

The somewhat large chamber fixated on Lombardia's back was devastatingly silent as the dragon soared through the sky.

Jet leaned back on the seat while sighing. "Damn, that was a nice way to spend the afternoon," he stated as Virginia glanced at him from her seat. "Stop being so sarcastic, we don't even know what they're going to do next."

Jet shrugged. "Whatever you say, but I still could have taken a nap."

"Miss Virginia is right Jet, you should not take it so lightly." The Drifter closed his eyes. "Okay, okay, sorry. At least you're not calling me, 'Mister', any more," he remarked while directing his gaze to Todd.

Aaron gazed out at the small window beside his seat, trying to sort the many events at Orion out. "I failed in stopping my grandfather; am I that weak? I couldn't even get through to Ileana, and I thoughtlessly threw their lives into it," he thought as Lombardia began to land.

"Where are we landing?" Enrique asked as Virginia glanced at him. "Near Humphrey's Peak; I feel like talking to a friend of mine."

Jet snorted. "Great, reunion time, just my luck."

Todd smiled as they all began to stand. "This is wonderful, Jet. You aren't always able to visit old friends or comrades."

Jet shook his head. "Let's just get it over with," he stated while exiting Lombardia.

Enrique quickly hopped out, but Aaron stopped Virginia and Todd. "Miss Virginia, I have to apologize for all of this. I was responsible for you all becoming involved, but this is really my battle; I should deal with it on my own terms."

Virginia smiled while crossing her arms behind her back. "It's no problem Aaron, I'm happy to be helping, and I'm sure Jet is too, he just doesn't express it as much."

Todd nodded. "You shouldn't feel like you're the only one who's alone right now; we've all lost someone dear to us, but we shouldn't just give up, right?"

Aaron nodded. "Thank you, and I appreciate your assistance, but-"

"No buts," Virginia interrupted. "We're helping you and that's final, got it?"

Aaron sighed. "All right then, I understand."

Clive closed his eyes as he sat down, letting out a small sigh as he heard a knock at the door. Groaning he stood up and opened it to see Virginia and the others.

"Virginia! Todd, Jet, what are you all doing here?" he asked surprised as they strode inside.

Virginia turned to him. "It's something like a visit, but we have to talk to you about something important."

Clive nodded. "That's fine; all of you, sit down."

"Ah, I see. I have heard of this Crystaelius once before when I was a child. It was supposedly a utopia, a perfect habitat for any type of life- form. Food and water were limitless, and the sky was pure and clear. However, legend states that a comet collided with the planet, and split it in half. The smaller part of the planet became the moon, while the remnants of the planet became Filgaia. It is all, of course, only legends. There are no historical documentations or anything of the sort, as no entities lived on the planet."  
"So, Guile is planning to merge the two back together," Virginia replied. "They've already probably began drawing the moon to Filgaia with that Orion; we're running out of time."

"Maybe, but if we can eliminate the central core of Orion, the generator would be disabled, it would be useless," Aaron commented as Enrique stretched and yawned. "That's easier said than done," he remarked. "We've already attacked them once, and we almost didn't make it. What makes you think we can pull something like that off again and succeed?"

Aaron shrugged. "I was just merely stating a fact; I don't have the slightest idea of how to attack them."

Clive thought for a moment as they debated the subject. "You said that Orion became one large Onakasa gem, correct? If that is true, they have an extremely vast source of the planet's energy, but I believe there is a way to block that power."

"What do you mean?" Virginia asked. Clive pushed his glasses up. "There must be an energy which counters that of Filgaia's. I'm sure that if you obtained even a small amount of that energy, you could stop their energy process."

"Might you have any idea what this energy could be?" Aaron inquired as an enormous quake shook the town and the surrounding area.

"What is that!" Enrique shouted as they ran outside. The moment they exited the house, however, Jet screamed in pain and fell to his knees.

"Jet!" Virginia exclaimed as she and Todd ran to his side.

"What's wrong!" Todd asked as Jet began to slowly stand up. "It's huge… This power, from the south… Onerog, Urien… the great chaos!" He shouted in agony one last time before the shaking ceased.

Jet clutched his head as he fell down. Todd quickly caught him and took him inside as Virginia and Aaron rushed in as well. Enrique scratched his head and followed, leaving the town's people in awe.

"Jet, are you all right?" Virginia asked as he gradually opened his eyes. "What… W-What happened?" he asked as he sat up.

"Whoa, take it easy man. After that freaky show I don't think you should move," Enrique stated. Jet glanced at him. "What are you talking about? Tell me what happened!"

Aaron stroked his chin before responding, "There was an earthquake, and when we went outside, you fell in pain and began to shout what seemed like a mad man's talk. You said something about a power to the south, and of a great chaos. There were also these two words or names: Onerog and Urien."

"Onerog and Urien? The final judgment…" Jet began to mumble. "I can recall something like that, but it's really hazy."

Aaron shrugged. "An occurrence such as that shouldn't be taken lightly. In any case, you should rest."

He then walked out of the room, but Todd followed.

"Mr. Aaron, do you know something?" he asked as Aaron walked over to the center of the town. "I don't, but he said something about a power to the south. That must mean something related to the earthquake is somewhere south of here, and it's just a hunch, but I'm sure my grandfather is involved with it in some manner."

"All right, would you like me to inform the others?" Aaron nodded. "Please, if you could. I would, but I have a somewhat important errand to run at the moment." Todd smiled. "I'd be happy to, but Mr. Aaron, could I tell you something?"

The swordsman nodded. "Of course, what is it?"

Todd sighed. "I know it's a difficult time for you, but please, keep your head up. We are going to need your help."

Aaron smiled. "Don't worry so much Todd. I feel like I'm obliged to assist you all, but it is also personal. I know now that trying to persuade my sister is useless, and that I must confront her if I ever want to face my fears, my grandfather as well. I'm the only one who can defeat them, and I intend to do just that," he stated as he began to walk away.

Todd sighed and walked back inside.

Jet leaned his head back against the pillow. He rubbed his forehead slightly and glanced around.

"The Judgment is nearing… the great chaos will envelop the world," he muttered as he stood up from the bed. "What's going on? My head hurts like Hell, but I understand what it means, but then I don't. What is it!" he thought as paced around the room, collecting his jacket and scarf.

"Well, I'll think about it later," he thought aloud before walking outside.

"Feeling better?" Virginia asked as she sat on the porch. He glared at her. "I'll live, but where's Aaron?"

"Todd said he went to take care of something. Enrique's arranging our transportation, and I'm just relaxing."

Jet crossed his arms and leaned against the house wall, sighing.

(I just saw 'House of Flying Daggers' at 7:05, it's 1:59 right now. It was pretty good, exactly like 'Hero' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' because of the tragic romance, awesome fight scenes, and the same female actress for all three movies. It's 2:00 now, cool. Anyway, while watching the movie, I came up with an idea for the next story, but it's not a true sequel, rather a story afterwards revolving around a brown- haired swordsman, but I'm still coming up with the title. Of course, this comes first!)


	15. Chapter Nine I

(I have no school tomorrow; thank our almighty lord, Jesus Christ. Anyway, I also hope I don't have to cheat on 'Baten Kaitos', but I will if I must. In any case, I will do the Aaron story, because I'm starting to take a liking to him even though I'm his creator, which means I suck. Oh well, please read the chapter and review it, like always. Darn, disregard everything I said because I started typing this a week ago.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Nine: Weapon of Steel I

Zane entered Guile's chamber casually as he scratched his neck. "Master Guile, have you any idea what that disturbance was?"

Guile stood before a small altar, studying a map. "I… am not completely sure. It may or may not be an interference in our plan, but I would disregard it for now. The Drifters should know of our plot by now, and I have an idea of how to take care of them."

"What do you suggest?" Zane asked shakily. Guile smiled. "It's simple, really. We summon Onerog and destroy them."

"Onerog! Are you serious!"

Guile turned to him. "Do I ever joke or kid, Zane? We have come too far for us to fail, and I'm sure we can easily summon Onerog by acquiring the Celestial Pendant."

"The pendant; how do you suggest we enter the tower than?"

"We don't need to enter it; the recent disturbance **was **the Tower of Osiris, Onerog's resting place. My grandson and his troupe should already be headed for it."

"So, um, anyone have any interesting dreams?" Enrique asked as they began to settle near a boulder.

"Yeah," Jet began, "of you shutting up."

Enrique scowled at him. "Aside from that, I had one, about a chocolate cookie chasing me. I think it was because I was craving chocolate."

He glanced at Aaron, who had sat down on the ground. "What about you, Aaron? Any interesting dreams?"

The swordsman closed his eyes. "It wasn't important, just a common dream I usually have."

Virginia smiled. "I dreamt about my father, when I was a child."

Todd shook his head. "None."

Enrique shrugged. "Hmm… That's nice; anyone have a nice story to tell?"

The group was silent as Aaron stood up. "Let's not stall for so long. We should be continuing to the source of the quake."

He then began to walk, and the others had no choice to follow. However, it did not take them long before finding something strange.

A massive crater with a peculiar tower structure lay surrounded by a desolate plain.

"So, I suppose this was where the quake originated from?" Aaron thought aloud as Virginia and Todd approached it.

Jet winced somewhat as he rubbed his right temple. "What is this? I don't get any of this; it's like this tower thing has an aura around it."

The tower had many different structures hovering around it, and its base seemed to be dug into the ground. It held a greenish tint, and a large crystal stuck up from the top.

"Well then, let's get moving," Aaron stated as he began to walk towards the tower.

The interior of the tower was extremely different from the outside; it seemed to be constructed completely of crystal, and there was a great heat emanating from the main chamber.

There was a large staircase which spiraled up from the foyer, and there was a hallway leading from the only door on the ground level.

"We seem to have two choices; we can either split up, or take it on as a group," Aaron explained.

"Well, they took advantage of us the last time we did that, so I would recommend we head upward as a team," Virginia commented as the temperature increased somewhat.

Aaron nodded. "All right then, we can check out that hallway when we're done."

The group then began to ascend the staircase.

It seemed like an eternity as the group headed upwards. There were no breaks or such to intervene with the walk, just the staircase.

Finally though, they reached the top.

"Thank goodness," Enrique remarked as Jet grasped his head.

"Are you okay?" Virginia asked urgently as he glanced towards the door on the landing. "I'm fine, we should just hurry up." The group then ventured through the door.

A large chamber lay before them; grand concrete tiles created the floor, and many different crystals hung from the ceiling. A small pillar stood at the very back of the room, and a strange black aura surrounded it.

However, a figure suddenly appeared in the room.

"I didn't really expect you all to be here so soon, but it saves time," Guile stated as he inspected them. Aaron flinched and they all readied their weapons.

Guile held up his right hand to stop them. "Please put those away; I'm not here to mingle with you all, well, I won't be the one mingling."

He then turned back and walked over to the pillar. "I have to say I'm impressed. You Drifters escaped Orion and left two of my associates dead, but your streak of luck is about to change." He then touched the pillar once, and a wave of dark energy erupted from it, knocking all of the down.

Guile smiled and reached into the pillar, which had separated into two halves vertically.

"Now, prepare yourselves, for the power of Onerog!" he exclaimed while turning to face them with a small pendant in his hand.

"The Celestial Pendant… It will serve as Onerog's awakening."

The room shock as a strange aqua colored liquid from it. The liquid continued to fall to the floor until it formed a fairly large puddle, which then began to form and grow.

A large humanoid shape rose as silver chunks of armor began to encase it. A large horn erupted from the entity's forehead while another smaller one shot out from the back of the head. Two extremely large obstructions sprouted from the shoulders as huge boots crashed into the floor.

The creature gave out a devastating roar as another wave of energy shot from it.

Guile let out a small laugh as he placed the pendant around his neck. "I present to you fools now, Onerog, the very first golem. With the pendant, he will follow whatever commands I give, and so, Onerog, eliminate these foul pests!"

The armored hulk roared and reached into its chest plate, bringing out a large sword. Two crimson eyes centered on Virginia before it dashed at her with amazing speed.

She had barely been able to look up at it before it reached her. Jet quickly pushed her out of the way and jumped back, raising his ARMs as the top hatch opened and he fired the Magnum bullet.


	16. Chapter Nine II

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Nine: A Weapon of Steel II

Ileana examined her father's blade closely, searching for any scratches or damage. Her first attempt at the Soaring Eagle technique went smoothly, and it did not drain as much of her energy as she expected. However, her brother was skilled; he had been able to fend off the attack for quite a bit of time, but his weapon was destroyed in the process.

She sighed and brushed a strand of hair from over her eyes and left the small room.

While most of Orion had been encased with the Onakasa gem, some of it remained the same; the central hall for example.

Ileana rubbed her head and began to make way for the second rightmost staircase, which lead up to the hall with her room before a voice stopped her.

"Hold on, Ileana, I'd like a word with you." She quickly turned to see Zane standing in the center of the hall with his arms crossed. "What is it Zane? I am not in the mood for mindless chat," she stated before approaching him. He merely grinned.

"Do you really have that much faith for your grandfather? That old man is just using you."

She ground her teeth. "What are you talking about!"

He cocked his head to the right. "You know what I mean; his lust for power has mutated his intentions. You should've clearly seen it by now."

"No, he only wants to do what is right for Filgaia and its people. That's why he is going through all the trouble of creating Crystaelius."

He chuckled. "Please, don't give me that rubbish. He's already sacrificed two loyal servants for his plot, and soon you will be next. Besides, I've discovered a few secrets about the man; one is that he's trying to awaken Urien."

"Urien! He would never do such a thing! Its power is too great to control!" Zane closed his eyes and smiled. "He's lied to you; he aspires to control the new world he searches for. I'm sure he's willing to do anything for such power."

Ileana scowled. "Zane would never cross my grandfather; what are you, what's happened to him?"

Zane laughed merrily. "It took you long enough. Destroying the boy's spirit and possessing his body was so easy. All he could do was welcome my essence."

Ileana unsheathed her blade and readied it. "You haven't answered my question, what are you? I won't hesitate to attack you."

He yawned. "Of course, you should know that you'd only be doing damage to Zane's body; I could easily escape this now empty shell."

The woman raised her sword and began to rush at him. "Fine then, I'll force you out!" She executed a series of slashes, but he effortlessly avoided each of them. "Now, now, what **did **your grandfather teach you all those years? I'm not surprised Aaron held back on you," he remarked, only increasing her anger.

"Be quiet!" she shouted and swung horizontally at his face, but he only raised his right index finger and stopped the attack.

"You should have listened to your brother. You think he turned his back on your family? Huh, such an interesting thought; he was the one who wallowed in pity and sorrow for sixteen years! But, I wouldn't expect a stubborn and obnoxious brat like you to understand."

He then held out his hand a fired a small burst of invisible energy. Her body suddenly froze and hovered in the air.

"You Dragio's have always been the type to aspire for power. Your brother, the exception, paid for it by having his life played with by fate. You, on the other hand, will only realize your foolishness the hard way!"

He then thrust his hand forward, causing her to crash into the wall.

The smoke cleared from the explosion as the Drifters stood in wait, only to see the huge figure of Onerog remain in the same stature as before.

"Oh yes, did I forget to mention that your measly weapons can do no harm to Onerog or his armor; you cannot win!" Guile exclaimed as Jet closed the hatch on his weapon.

"It saves us bullets," he remarked as the golem readied for another assault.

"No, it has to have a weakness; there must be a way to penetrate its armor," Aaron thought aloud as their opponent leaped into the air and crashed down with its sword striking the ground. "Watch out!" Enrique yelled as they all jumped aside to avoid the ensuing shockwave. The golem then swung his sword around and pierced the floor, causing pillars of energy to erupt from the floor and chase the Drifters.

They quickly rolled and jumped, but Onerog held out his hand towards Aaron, who barely stopped before the blasts of energy collided with him and sent him sailing into the corresponding wall.

Enrique raised his ARMs and shot at the golem, issuing a battle cry. The bullets merely hit the armor and fell to the floor.

Onerog swiftly rushed at Enrique, and with his free hand, grasped his throat and slammed him into the ground, causing a small crater. It was about to attack the others, when Guile ordered, "Stop!"

He scratched his forehead and continued. "You can finish them later on, as for now, we must retreat back to Orion, something unexpected has occurred."

The golem willingly nodded in agreement before they both disappeared.

Virginia and Todd rushed over to the others as Jet examined his gun. "Not even the Magnum could put a dent in it; this might pose a problem."

"Ileana! What has happened!" Guile demanded as he helped the woman up. "Grandfather… Zane, he is-," But He quickly stopped her.

"So then, that boy has betrayed me, but it doesn't matter. Now that Onerog is at my disposal those Drifters are nothing! We shall crush them, Ileana, and pave the way towards the new Crystaelius!"

She glanced at the armored humanoid behemoth standing straight for a moment. Its eyes were centered on Guile, but they were empty.

Aaron stared meekly at the Tower of Osiris before glancing at his companions. "Everyone, I don't want to seem like a burden, but could I please be dropped off at Little Twister?" he asked.

Virginia glanced at him. "For what?" He scratched his head. "I… I need to speak with an old friend about a weapon. If I'm lucky, he and his wife still reside there."

Virginia smiled. "Of course! It should be okay with everyone, right?" Todd and Enrique nodded in unison as Jet closed his eyes. "Yeah, could I go with you Aaron?" the Drifter asked. Aaron thought for a moment. "I don't see why not, so, sure."

"So then," Jet began as he followed Aaron through the small town. "Who is this friend of yours, just out of curiosity, though."

Aaron smiled. "He was my former master ten years ago. He assisted me in completing my training with a sword."

He then turned a corner, and after a few more minutes, led Jet to a small home. To the side of it, was a small workshop, but the house seemed in much better condition than the other buildings.

Aaron cleared his throat and gently knocked on the door. After a few moments, it opened, revealing a young man with slightly dark brown hair.

"Can I help you, sir?" he asked in a polite tone as Aaron nodded. "Yes, would a man by the name of Ruben Rodrick live at this house? If not, is it possible for you to tell me where he is?"

The man thought for a moment and sighed. "My father currently resides in Claiborne. He entrusted this house to my sister and I."

Aaron smiled slightly. "I see, so you and Veronica sustain this place, I'm glad."

The man glanced at Jet for a moment but went back to Aaron. "Sir, if there is anything I can help you with, please hurry and tell me."

"Oh yes, your father once forged swords. Does he still? At this time, mine was shattered, and if possible, I would like him to repair it."

The man scratched his ear. "I'm sorry, my father no longer makes weapons such as those, and he did not teach me. We do, however, have his last sword, it was his best creation, but, he wishes for us to keep it in his memory when he ever passes."

Aaron frowned slightly and nodded. "All right then, thank you, and send me regards to your father."

Before he turned back however, there was a great shock.

(Okay, you guys will find out more about Ruben, his wife, and his daughter in the next chapter of 'A Blade of Courage'. Besides that, the idea of this chapter came to me from an episode of 'Rurouni Kenshin'.)


	17. Chapter Nine III

(I presume you guys were watching Cartoon Network? Ugh, I was never able to see the new episodes so I just gave up on it, but I did see a manga of it at the mall, oh well.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Nine: Weapon of Steel III

Storm clouds began to form as Onerog rose from the crater it had created within Little Twister. The sun was blocked out, leaving a cool shade over the area.

"The hell! Didn't we just get away from this thing!" Jet exclaimed as the golem glanced at him.

Aaron nodded. "My grandfather must have noticed we separated from the others; it is a slightly low tactic."

Jet ground his teeth. "Whatever! It's here to kill us, plain and simple," he stated while taking his Airget- lambh out. Aaron glanced at the hilt of his sword and sighed quietly. He was useless in this battle without a weapon.

Daniel Rodrick watched the event from the window. His sister, Veronica, was out at the time when the two Drifters arrived, but he felt strange whenever he spoke to the older of the two. What connection did he have to his father and sister? Daniel had certainly never met the man before in his life.

Onerog roared as it drew out its sword and prepared for the upcoming battle. "Dammit! There's no way we could beat this thing by ourselves even if Aaron did have a sword!" Jet muttered in anger as the golem leaped at him.

He quickly rolled out of the way and turned to fire, only for the golem to have disappeared. "What the!" he murmured as Onerog appeared behind and swung the blunt edge of the sword against him, knocking him four yards away.

Jet spat out some dirt and rose, turning to the golem in infuriation. "You want to play dirty, that's fine by me! Accelerator!"

Jet swiftly dashed away from the series of energy blasts which were fired towards him. He circled around his opponent and raised his ARMs, aiming at Onerog's backside. "Take this!" he shouted, but before he could pull the trigger for the Magnum, the golem had turned around and dashed at him, punching Jet with his left fist while the right held the sword.

The impact knocked Jet towards a building, but before he hit it, Onerog appeared aside him and grasped his waist and thrust him into the building.

Jet sailed through it and landed behind the now destroyed building.

Onerog roared in triumphant as the Drifter shakily stood up. "Damn! Not even with Accelerator can I keep up with him. This is bad," he thought as the golem prepared for another attack.

However, before he rushed at Jet, Aaron jumped in the way and took the blow, knocking him through the air. He landed near where Jet had been, but the silver- haired boy had taken the time to dash at Onerog at flip onto his back. He cried out and jumped off before unleashing a Magnum on the back of Onerog's head.

The golem roared as the impact caused it to fall to its knees.

Jet landed on his back on the ground as a raindrop fell on his forehead. He felt extremely weak from firing the Magnum at such close range, and was unable to sit or stand up. Lighting stuck and thunder boomed as the rain began to fall harder.

Aaron rose to his feet slowly, studying the recent situation. Onerog seemed to be recovering from Jet's action, whatever it was. However, Jet himself seemed to be defenseless, lying down in the mud.

"Great, whatever Jet did has left him for dead, but it bought us some time," he thought as he un- strapped the sheath from his side. "I cannot do any harm to the creature, but I can distract it from Jet."

Aaron ran up to the scene as Onerog stood up and prepared to strike Jet.

"Hey, wait! I'm still here, hey!" he shouted trying to acquire the golem's attention. He succeeded. Onerog turned to him, raising his hand and readying an energy blast.

Aaron held up his sheath, his only defense.

"Sir!" Daniel called as he stepped out of the house. Aaron glanced at him, barely catching the object thrown at him.

"My father's last sword! Please, use it!" he yelled as Aaron glanced at the weapon. Its sheath was dark brown, made of leather. The hilt was fastened with a golden diamond.

Aaron raised his gaze to the energy blast sailing towards him. He threw his former sword and sheath to the ground and removed his jacket, launching it in front of him before removing the majestic, silver sword and slicing threw the jacket and the blast.

The rain continued harder as Aaron raised the blade, readying it. The black muscle shirt he wore under his green jacket was exposed completely now, and he winced somewhat.

Onerog roared once more and began to dash at him. Aaron ground his teeth and yelled, the sword gaining a bluish tint.

"Soaring Eagle!" He leaped into the air and brought the sword down upon the golem, slicing cleanly through the sword and chest plate. He then slashed, diagonally to the right, the abdomen and the jumped on Onerog's chest and flipping to the golem's back. He then plunged the sword into its back and removing it, and then finally giving it a horizontal slash.

Onerog gave a groan of pain and fell to the ground, the rain clattering noisily against its armor.

Aaron slowed his breathing and examined the golem's corpse. Droplets of water slid down the cool, metal blade as the swordsman collapsed to his knees, leaning on his hands.

He positioned himself to sit against the golem; his right hand burned with pain. "The last time I attempted the Soaring Eagle technique, I almost disabled my right hand completely, but I succeeded with it this time, even though it was extremely dangerous."

He removed the crimson glove and clenched his fist. He winced in pain, but he was still capable of wielding a sword.

"Amazing… Onerog was killed, by my grandson…" Guile thought aloud as he watched the generator. "Well, I shouldn't be dwelling on it; Urien can easily take his place, but Zane…"

"Grandfather, are you all right? You seemed a tad flustered," Ileana stated while entering his chamber. "No, I'm fine. The time has come Ileana, to execute my plan. The Tower of Osiris is active, and it will serve as a suitable enough magnet."

"But, what of the Drifters?" she inquired. Guile smiled. "Onerog was killed, and that leaves only us and a few Scryers to defeat them."

"Thank you for everything, Daniel," Aaron stated as the rain began to let up. The young man nodded. "I am entrusting my father's final work to you; please, treat it well."

Aaron nodded as he glanced at the blade strapped to his side. "I will, but we must be off."

With a final wave he began to walk away. "At least we beat that golem thing," Jet commented as they left the town. Aaron nodded. "Maybe, but we're not done yet. We have to find some way to get to Orion in the planet's orbit."

"I can easily help you with that," a voice stated from behind them.

They both quickly turned to see Zane leaning against the gate of the town The Drifters readied their weapons but he shook his head. "I'm not here to fight with you all, just to help you with your current predicament."

"Why should we trust you?" Aaron snapped. Zane smiled. "Because I'm no longer serving that old fool. Perhaps you could say, I've taken a liking to you Aaron."

Jet flinched. "There's no way you're Zane; your body movements and language are completely wrong."

He smiled. "Right on target Jetty boy, but, you can either let me help you, or you can sit back and watch as Filgaia is burnt. Which will it be?"

(I forgot to express my anger in the last chapter. I found out I needed 8 EX File Keys for the opening movie option, dammit! I thought it was only four! So, I basically wasted my time fighting Nega- Filgaia!)


	18. Chapter Ten I

(Yes, I am so bland and unoriginal that I altered the idea somewhat… Wah!)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Ten: The Song of Salvation I

Todd sat glumly on the porch of Clive's home; eyes locked on the approaching figure as a slight drizzle began to pour.

The person stopped once inside the town, eyeing the locked houses and buildings. He glanced at Todd once, pulling his hood slightly lower on his head.

"The rain is so serene; it eases away at the constant worries preying off of our minds."

Todd stood up and watched as the person walked up to the door. "I'm only here to offer some assistance to you and your friends; Jet and Aaron have already begun with the task."

"What do you mean? Have you met them?"

The person remained silent and knocked on the door. A few moments passed in silence before the entrance was opened.

Jet fiddled with a small coin as they both neared the tower. "Hey, you sure we should do what he says? It might be a trap," Jet stated. Aaron shrugged. "It's risky, yes, but it's our last shot. He said the tower was going to be used as a magnet."

Jet looked up at the tower. "Whatever."

They quickly walked up to the tower and entered it, beginning to advance up the stairs.

"It is almost time, soon Orion will have gained enough power and the Tower of Osiris will activate!" Guile thought as the sun began to set.

He stole a glance at the generator and grinned. "The time has come; Crystaelius's resurrection was meant to occur in a few more days, but with the Tower of Osiris, Filgaia's energy is free! I won't have to wait for Orion's power to grow!" he exclaimed in happiness as the small glass sphere on the altar in the center of the room glowed.

"Now what is it?" he inquired while walking over to the sphere and examining it. The storm was beginning to strengthen as the rain fell harder. Guile could make out two figures approaching the tower directly below Orion on Filgaia. He cocked his head to the left. "What? How did my grandson and Jet survive Onerog's death? Damn, that Zane must have informed them of the tower!"

He ground his teeth and slammed his fist upon the altar, knocking the sphere to the floor. "No, I won't allow them to stop me! Once Urien has been awakened, I'll wipe them all out! I will not be denied!"

The sphere suddenly glowed again, picturing a blue and silvered colored dragon flying towards Orion. "How is this possible! I should have killed all those fools when I had the chance! Now Zane has tipped off all of them! Dammit, dammit all!" he shouted while crushing the sphere with his foot.

"I hope that Zane guy was right," Enrique stated as Lombardia neared the atmosphere. Todd shivered. "It's getting colder; can Lombardia make it into space?" he asked as Virginia glanced at him. "I'm pretty sure, but I'm really worried about Jet…"

"What about Aaron?" Enrique inquired. "Jet your favorite?"

Virginia became scarlet. "Um… I…" she stammered as Lombardia rocked somewhat.

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Jet asked as he and Aaron entered the top floor of the tower. Aaron closed his eyes and thought. "According to Zane, a warping mechanism, located in this room, will allow us to venture to Orion, but we have to find it first."

Jet sighed in annoyance and concentrated. "This tower is linked with the planet, right?" he asked while closing his eyes. "Well, so am I; I should be able to turn this thing on."

After a few moments, Jet tensed. He was becoming weary; the energy in the room seemed to be draining the both of them.

"Turn on…" he thought. The room shook slightly, and after what seemed like six minutes, it shook again, much more violently.

A large, intricate symbol, alit with green energy suddenly appeared in the center of the room, and a great pillar of energy shot out from it.

Jet lowered his hand and attempted to slow his breathing; the task had required much of his energy.

Aaron glanced at him and began to walk towards the symbol, waiting for his comrade before stepping through the pillar.

The both of them winced as they appeared in the central hall of Orion. "Damn, that hurt!" Jet exclaimed as he grasped his left shoulder. Aaron nodded slightly. "Yes, the burst of energy was quite painful, but we have to get going; who knows what my grandfather is trying to do."

The two drifters began to make their way towards the large staircase, advancing up it slowly and steadily. It was freezing in the building; Orion was floating in space of course, but there did not seem to be any temperature control.

They quickly walked up into the chamber which lay before the generator room.

"So you two came," Ileana stated as she approached them from before the entrance of the generator room. Jet and Aaron grasped their weapons tightly. "You going to stop us this time around?" Jet asked calmly. She shook her head. "No, you can go ahead; I'm not sure what's right anymore," She stated.

Aaron eased and smiled. "Thank you, will you be assisting us?" Ileana looked at him. "I… I can't help you; it's impossible for me to hurt my grandfather."

Aaron nodded. "All right then, but please be careful." He and Jet walked past her and pushed open the crystal door and entered the room.

Guile glanced at them from the corner of his eye as he touched the generator. "I doubted Ileana would stop you; she's become just like my daughter, fragile and confused. My daughter was a weak human!"

Aaron ground his teeth as they approached the altar. "How could you say that about your own child; my mother!" he demanded furiously.

He quickly turned around to face them. "It was the truth! However, I have to say I am glad you kept her maiden name as your last."

The swordsman unsheathed his sword. "Why should you be glad? Damn you! Don't you know what you're doing is wrong!" he shouted while readying his weapon.

Guile grinned. "No, it is the revival of the true Filgaia!" He removed a somewhat large sword and held it upon his left hand, directing it at Aaron.

"No!" Ileana yelled as she ran into the room in front of Jet and Aaron. "They've done nothing wrong! Grandfather, please, spare them!"

Guile scowled. "Ileana! How dare you betray me; fine! You can die with these insolent fools!"

The sword lit a bright blue and he swung it once, causing a wave of energy to fly at her. "Ileana!" Aaron exclaimed as he pushed her out of the way, having the wave collide with him and smashing him through the crystal and down below to Filgaia.

Jet quickly fired at Guile, who leaped out of the way, only to have the bullets hit the generator. "No!" he cried, before slipping over the edge of the hole and falling.

"Grandfather!" she screamed in horror as the generator lit up. "What the hell?" Jet muttered as the now exposed core of the generator began to spin quickly.

Ileana glanced at it. "No, Orion has been disabled; the core is going haywire!"

Aaron began to stand up slowly, his body aching in pain. He had fallen onto the top of the tower, which seemed to be rising into the air, so his landing was not extremely fatal, but he felt a few of his right ribs were crushed, since they absorbed most of the impact.

"Isn't it a shame you can't control the power of the planet; you could have avoided the fall," Guile stated as he landed gently on the tower.

Aaron grasped his sword and readied a stance. "I don't care; I'm going to finish this with you now."

Guile chuckled and raised his own blade. "Fine then; you can burn in the pits of Hell for all I care!"


	19. Chapter Ten II

(I'm not sure if you all read books, but I'm going to recommend the Bartimaeus Trilogy. It's a very good series and I'm reading the second one; I just hope the third one comes out later in the year, which it should.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Ten: The Song of Salvation II

Orion had begun to fall into Filgaia's atmosphere, sailing somewhat quickly to the ground. The Tower of Osiris continued to rise itself, and it seemed as if the two structures were attempting to connect.

Ileana gradually stood up from her position over the hole in the chamber, watching the mechanical generator light up and breathe out bursts of flame as the exposed core continued to rotate faster.

"Hey, what do you mean about it going haywire?" Jet asked suddenly. "Was something going to happen?"

She thought for a moment. "Well, the generator is what kept Orion's power level secure and stable. It is also what maintained the synchronization between Orion and the Tower; it's what Grandfather depended on to revive Crystaelius."

Jet snorted. "Hmm… Okay, so if this thing busts, Orion's power will become unstable and the Tower will fall?"

Ileana nodded. "In simplicity, yes, however, we have to do something about it."

"Can't we just destroy it?" he asked casually as she began to approach it. "If we destroy it, all of the energy present in the generator will be released, and thus destroying all of Filgaia; it's that powerful," she replied as Orion began to tremble.

Black rays of energy and light shot from the core, and the outer walls of the generator began to melt.

"So, what's happening now?" Jet inquired as multiple black wires sprouted from the small core as it glowed.

"No, this eliminates the option of trying to override it; but I'm not sure what's happening."

More and more wires erupted from the core and began to wrap around it; it began to grow in size, steadily forming into something massive.

"I don't take this as a good sign," Jet commented as the shape and form of the thing became clear. It seemed to be very similar to a dragon; a large tail sprouted from the back and two wide arms appeared on the side, while colossal feel crushed into the floor. A somewhat large chest plate formed, connecting the separate body parts. The head was large; two crimson eyes widened when they examined the room.

Suddenly, a series of wires shot out from a patch of darkness on the entity towards Jet, quickly wrapping themselves around him.

"What the …!" he managed to mutter as he was raised in the air. However, Ileana responded quickly and sliced through the wires, severing them.

The ones surrounding Jet dissipated. "Thanks," he replied. She nodded. "Fine, but we have to go; the creature's attracted to the energy within you."

She then grasped his arm and began to run to the exit, attempting to escape down the stairs. The entity roared and swiped its tail at them, barely missing and crashing into the floor and wall, crushing the door.

"Jump over it!" Ileana ordered as she leaped over most of the rubble and continued down the remnants of the staircase. Jet followed hastily, avoiding another swipe.

The creature grunted and began to follow, its size increasing with every step.

"What the hell is that thing!" Jet asked urgently as they neared the central hall. Ileana glanced at him while sheathing her sword. "It is the second judge of creation, Urien. It was created by the demons and sealed away within Orion, until now."

"Judger; what's that mean?"

"It was just a name, as Onerog was the first. However, Urien's power shook all of Filgaia; if it is allowed freedom onto Filgaia our planet is done for."

They reached the floor and continued running to the entrance when a beam of energy shot at the hall and exploded, propelling them a few feet.

They both quickly rolled to lessen damage and looked up to see Urien crashing into the hall.

"Damn, is it trying to get us or something?" Jet remarked as more wires encased most of the crystal around the room and brought it to the creature.

"It's absorbing everything!" Ileana exclaimed. "That's why it's following us; it wants your energy, Jet."

He snorted and raised his ARMs. "Okay, but I'm not going to stand here and let it take me; we can't keep running away."

Ileana considered his words for a moment before standing up and bringing out her sword. "I suppose you're right; we can at least stall it until companions arrive."

The clashing of the metal blades resonated with the thunder; the rain splattered noisily upon the two figures as they raised their weapons and attacked.

Aaron blocked a flurry of swipes and slashes from Guile, who angrily slashed horizontally. His opponent ducked and rolled to the side, blocking a downward slash and responding with a combo of his own. A majority of the duel was spent like that; dodging; countering, and attacking.

However, Aaron could feel himself wearing down. The pain of his broken bones was beginning to greaten and his grandfather did not any signs of letting up.

"What's the matter Aaron, feeling tired? Or is it the fact I am superior to you? Whichever way you comprehend it won't change the fact that I am going to kill you once this is over. It's a shame you'll never be able to see the revival of the perfect world," Guile stated as he avoided another slash. Aaron ground his teeth and attacked again. "You still don't get it do you? You can't force people to live under you in some fantasy world that you think Filgaia will turn into!"

Guile scowled and kicked Aaron to the floor. "Don't be a fool! You should welcome the new era of the world!"

The younger man quickly stood up and circled around his grandfather, attempting an attack. Guile simply turned and blocked the slash, returning a few counters, and then blade locking with his grandson.

They remained in that state for a few minutes as Guile gradually over- powered Aaron. Suddenly, however, a huge explosion could be heard as the Tower of Osiris began to near Orion.

"What was that!" Guile exclaimed, his gaze floating to the structure above them.

A massive, silver beast resembling a dragon had crashed through most of Orion, its size becoming larger and larger.

Guile's pupils widened. "Urien! Impossible! No, it wasn't meant to be awakened!"

Aaron watched as his grandfather quickly formed a shield around him and began to fly off towards the scene, completely ignoring Aaron. The swordsman winced and glanced around, noticing a shape soaring through the air. He began to wave his arms, trying to get its attention.

Enrique yawned while looking out of the splattered window. Orion floated nearby while a large tower was rising upwards to the center of the structure. He rubbed his eyes and examined the tower, noticing a small, fidgeting figure atop it.

"Hey, guys, do you see that? It's a person!" he stated while Todd and Virginia approached the window. "You're… right!" Virginia exclaimed. "Lombardia, head towards the tower!" she ordered as the dragon grunted and changed direction.

Aaron smiled weakly as Lombardia flew towards the tower. He silently walked over to the edge of the tower as the dragon turned and allowed the right door of the hatch on its back to open.

"Aaron! What happened, where's Jet?" Virginia asked in a rush as he boarded the dragon. "I'm not sure about Jet, but we have to hurry to Orion right now," he replied.

Todd cleared his throat. "Hold on though. What is exactly is going on? Why did that Zane person inform us of Guile's actions if they were on the same side?"

Aaron turned to him. "I doubt that person was Zane, but whoever he was disagreed with my grandfather's intentions; nevertheless, we need to go help Jet and my sister."

Virginia nodded. "Of course! Lombardia, let's all go to Orion!" she stated in determination. The dragon began to fly as fast as it could towards the structure.

Jet spat out some blood as he stood up from a blow from Urien's tail. The creature had easily outmatched him and Ileana with its speed and variety of attacks.

The creature hulked out from within the building and onto the large slab protruding from the entrance.

"We can't even touch it," he snared. "Our weapons are pretty much useless." Ileana readied herself as the rain began to fall harder. "It's too powerful; if it absorbs all of Orion, it'll easily be able to consume Filgaia!"

Jet snorted and raised his ARMs. They had been knocked outside by one of Urien's more devastating energy attacks, which decimated most of the interior of Orion.

The creature was covered by a metallic armor, which housed and stabilized its black and formless essence. Metal plates were plastered onto the ends of the arms, while a huge horn stuck out from the back of the head. A row of jagged teeth covered the jaw.

It roared and two cannons formed on its shoulders, firing multiple blasts of energy. Jet and Ileana swiftly avoided them as Guile landed on the slab.

"Urien, stop! I command you to stop!" he yelled, catching the creature's attention. "Yes, I am your master," he responded. "I am responsible for awakeni8ng you!"

Urien roared and fired a beam of energy at the man, who was caught by surprise. "Grandfather, no!" Ileana cried while running in front of her grandfather and taking the impact of the attack as it collided with her.

"Ileana…" Guile muttered as he caught her body in his arms, blood spilling out of her abdomen.

He laid her gently on her back. "Grandfather… I'm sorry if I…" Horror welled up within Guile as tears began to form in his eyes. "No… don't be sorry. Just hold on for a little longer as I heal you, please."

He quickly glanced up to see Urien preparing to strike them with its tail, but he also saw Jet, who had noticed them and was already running down the slab towards them before turning to face the demi- dragon.

He held out his hand and concentrated while Urien swung its tail at him. It suddenly froze, tail and all. "Heal her now! I don't know how much longer I can keep it still!" Jet exclaimed.

Guile nodded and placed his hand on Ileana's stomach, a faint green light emanating from it. "Please, relax; it will only take a second," he stated while noticing the Onakasa gem around her neck.

"If Jet is able to use it, we may have a chance of quelling Urien," he thought while carefully removing the gem from the necklace string with his free hand.

"Jet, here!" he called, throwing the gem at the Drifter, who quickly caught it, but in the process allowed Urien to be free from its restriction.

He jumped aside to dodge the swipe from the tail and glanced at the gem, a memory suddenly rising from the depths of his mind. "Of course; that weapon I used against Haruko, it was made up of this gem."

Jet exhaled loudly and placed the gem on his ARMs, focusing intently as a Urien attempted another attack.

A sudden flash of light occurred, immobilizing Urien as the light centered around Jet's weapon.


	20. Chapter Eleven

(Finally; the story's finally hit twenty chapters! This entire story has become an epic in my opinion, considering it's most likely the biggest story I'll ever do.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Eleven: Loss

A burst of lightning illuminated Jet's face as he examined the weapon residing in his hands. It was somewhat larger than the previous blaster, and there were two obstructions protruding from the top.

Guile began to lose focus. His healing energy was sustaining Ileana, but he could not help but feel horrible inside. His granddaughter would suffer the same fate as her mother did. He was the one who should have died long ago.

"I'm… sorry…" he murmured as Urien roared, the echo piercing the rain and thunder. He brushed her cheek with the back of his free hand. "I never thought of anything besides Crystaelius. It would be the home we deserved. People died for it, and lives were torn, but I can't achieve it now; Crystaelius was just a dream in my head."

The white- haired Drifter raised the weapon, aiming at the creature before him. Urien raised its left arm and brought it down upon Jet, but he quickly jumped back, avoiding the attack. A series of swipes, thrashes and other attacks were aimed at Jet. He could only dodge and try to keep on his toes; there was never an appropriate chance to strike.

As Lombardia neared Orion, Aaron began to edge towards the door. "We have to be ready to depart," he started, "as we have to help the others."

Virginia nodded. "Yeah; Enrique, Todd, could you both stay with Lombardia? We might need her help."

Enrique nodded tiresomely while Todd replied, "Sure."

She smiled. "Great!" While she spoke with Enrique and Todd, Aaron had been watching the events outside Orion.

"What is that thing? It's massive," he thought as he watched Urien thrash about.

Jet ducked behind a piece of rubble as another blast of energy shot out at him. He ground his teeth and began to circle the creature in a run as it destroyed his shelter with a second blast.

Urien roared and swiped its tail at him, and then immediately attacking with its right arm Jet easily avoided the first swipe, but instead of dodging the next move, jumped atop the arm and leaped off of it, firing the weapon as he landed. An explosion of energy occurred on the creature's backside, leaving the scarred area burnt.

A series of wires suddenly lunged out from the wound however, carefully wrapping themselves around the scar, and after a few moments, they completely disappeared and left the wound completely healed.

Jet snorted in annoyance and prepared to fire again as a flurry of missiles collided with Urien; the explosion knocking it back.

He looked up to see Lombardia flying towards them, firing another set of missiles at the creature.

Urien roared and fired multiple energy blasts, which met the missiles and destroyed them in a deafening explosion.

The dragon flew to the right and shifted to its normal state, forming an electric shield around itself to defend against Urien's next onslaught of attacks.

The compartment shook violently, causing Virginia and the others to grasp something to balance themselves with.

"Now, everyone, listen! We have to get closer for Virginia and me to land on Orion!" Aaron exclaimed. Enrique scowled at him. "How do you expect for us to get closer when we're being attacked every single second!" he demanded. Aaron shrugged. "I don't know, rush at it."

The electric sphere around Lombardia dissipated before the dragon's body began to glow a deep crimson. She shifted back into her flight state and soared at Urien, aiming at a direct assault.

As Lombardia neared Urien, Aaron and Virginia jumped out, allowing the dragon to fly above the creature and avoid it.

Jet had been silently resting against a boulder while Lombardia had distracted Urien. It gave him some time to think up an accurate strategy of defeating this creature.

"Damn… a direct attack won't work against this thing, but a sneak attack barely scratches it…"

Guile watched as Ileana drifted off to sleep; his hand brushing her cheek. "I never was a good parent to my daughter. She would always be hasty and impatient, quite a bit like my wife when she was younger," he muttered.

"…! Guile, what happened!" Virginia exclaimed as she ran up to him, reluctantly being followed by Aaron.

The man slowly stood up and turned to face them. "That monster… Urien, it has been awakened, and it's all my fault," he answered as Aaron approached them. "Your fault… Everything related to this is your fault!" he exclaimed.

Virginia glanced between them as Aaron drew his sword. Guile merely knelt down beside Ileana. "Fighting is useless Aaron, and because of me Ileana's hurt."

Aaron's gaze scanned the ground to center around his sleeping sister. "What happened to her, what did you do!"

"She saved my life and was hurt badly in the process. My healing energy sustained the wound; she just needs to rest."

Virginia smiled. "So, all we have to do is defeat Urien, and then we can all enjoy the Filgaia we've been given, right?" Guile looked up at her. "Yes, we can…"

Her smile widened. "Well of course! We won't have to squabble about what planet we're living on."

She turned to Aaron. "And then Ileana can wake up and say hello."

He nodded. "All right then, we should go and help Jet."

She nodded while grasping her pistols before both of them ran towards Urien.

The creature roared in anger at the disruption before frantically searching for Jet, who had positioned himself directly in front of it with the weapon raised.

"Jet!" Virginia cried out as she stopped behind him as Aaron did the same. "You're all late," Jet replied as they readied their weapons.

"So, does it have any apparent weaknesses?" Aaron asked while raising his sword.

"Not really."

"Then we'll have to make one."

Aaron then rushed at Urien, preparing to attack. Jet and Virginia were a little bewildered, but she immediately followed him.

The swordsman stopped and slashed away at the mass of wires which were being fired at him. He was building up power as he did this, and the sword glowed blue. Virginia shot at a few of the wires herself, until the tail swung at her. She jumped out of the way, all the while keeping her fingers on the triggers.

Aaron ground his teeth and leaped into the air once he felt comfortable enough and slashed downwards across Urien's chest plate, executing the Soaring Eagle technique. The creature roared in pain as the wires wrapped around Aaron, his sword dropping to the floor. Virginia was caught as well; both of them were swung madly in the air as Jet tried to aim.

"Jet!" Aaron yelled. "Fire at the exposed slash mark; its essence isn't protected there!"

Jet noticed the location Aaron spoke of. The Soaring Eagle had been able to cut through the armor, revealing a patch of darkness.

Jet ground his teeth and pulled the trigger, the blast colliding with Urien in an amazing explosion.

Virginia and Aaron were flung away like flies as the creature collapsed against Orion, causing a great deal of damage to the structure.

Orion actually felt like it tipped over, but Jet quickly scanned the skies for Lombardia. If the Draconic Gun hit Orion it would be powerful enough to eradicate Urien.

"Lombardia!" he shouted. "Forget about whatever Todd and Enrique tell you, just use the Draconic Gun Blaster on this structure, now!"

Almost immediately, the dragon appeared in the sky, positioning itself above Orion, the energy already gathering around it.

Jet examined his surroundings; Aaron and Virginia were barely getting up while Guile was standing at the edge of the slab.

"Ileana…" Aaron mumbled as he staggered towards his sister's body and slowly scooping her up in his arms. His grandfather stood, frozen in what seemed to be sorrow, his gaze meeting with Aaron's.

"Please… take care of her," he stated, tears streaming down his face as Aaron backed away somewhat.

The blast was fired and collided with Orion, creating a massive explosion. Aaron gave on last glance at his grandfather before jumping off of the slab as everyone else did, Lombardia quickly catching them all.

The explosion engulfed the structure like a pillar of fire, twisting and turning.

Guile lay motionless under the rubble, his eyes following the light seeping out from the wispy clouds entirely covering the sky.

The night had passed in an instant, and there was nothing left of Orion but a small scrap heap of dirt and rubble, clumsily floating in the sky.

He heard footsteps coming up behind him, continuing until reached a shattered concrete wall. The cloaked boy mindlessly peeled away at the orange, staring up at the sky.

"It could easily be used as a simile or metaphor in a fairy tale, don't you think? The storm has passed, and so has the conflict. The beams of light, as well as the clouds, signify the calm afterwards."

"Z-Z…Zane?" The boy turned in the direction of the man and shook his head. "No, sorry; the boy died quite a while ago actually. I needed a shell at the time, because my essence was shapeless, but not anymore."

Guile slowly stood up from the rubble. "Who… are you? Why did you interfere with Crystaelius's revival? It would have gone perfectly."

The boy smiled. "Really now, I did you a favor. You wouldn't have revived anything except for Urien."

"Crystaelius isn't real?" Guile asked in a sorrowful tone; it was the tone his voice had inhabited for the night before as well, never changing.

The boy nodded while leaning against the wall and throwing the orange skin to the ground. "Out of all the legends and myths you Filgaians believe, there had to at least be one that was fictional. The former Filgaia was all there was, along with Ewls."

"Who are you though? Stop hiding yourself behind that innocent boy's face."

The boy chuckled. "Oh yes, well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to reveal my identity to you, now would it?"

He took a bite out of the orange and began to pace around the area. "I've forgotten the name I was given at birth; it was so long ago. Yet, I can still remember my mother and the other people in our town. I was born a decade after the Neosapiens arrived."

He paused for a moment. "There was this boy, around the same cage of myself at the time. His mother was an Ewl, and his father was a human. Now the boy, he had an extraordinary ability; the ability to absorb and manipulate energy; any type of energy. He could easily sap the life force right out of you."

He sighed and frowned. "That boy… what was his name? Oh well, it doesn't matter. I, however, am an Ewl."

"An Ewl? That's impossible; they're extinct," Guile responded in his sorrowful tone.

"Yes, that's quite true. I am only a spirit bound to the planet, bound to its judgment. I have become, in a sense, its soul, and therefore I am one with Filgaia."

"So then, why are you here?"

The boy kicked a small stone. "I've been watching you Guile, and it was your actions which revived me."

Guile sighed. "Your name…? I feel as if I know it, but then I feel as if I don't," he stated.

"Oh, but you do know my name, it is the name which has clung to the hearts of all alive and dead out there; my name, is Crystaelius."


	21. Chapter Twelve

(Damn, I killed off Zane, my favorite Order of Osiris member! NO! At least I made room for Crystaelius though. Oh, and if you didn't notice the reference to Haruko Crystaelius made, it was there, with the boy who could manipulate and absorb energy. Well, thanks for calling the last chapter was cool, even though I though it was rushed Actually, I had thought of Enrique dying and Guile merging with Urien. Anyway, this chapter isn't going to be that long.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Twelve: A Lonely Soul

Ileana opened her eyes slowly before sitting up in the chair in the back portion of Lombardia's back. Her abdomen burned with pain and she was extremely tired.

She stood up, surveying the room. There were five seats stationed three yards in front of her, and the solitary chair in the corner longed for a partner.

There was a conversation occurring in the front.

"A 'thank you' would be nice, Jet! We would all be dead if Aaron and I didn't help you!"

Jet cleared his throat. "Oh really? Have you already forgotten who killed Haruko? Oh, and I was the one with the only weapon that could scratch that damn thing. You should be the one thanking me!" the sulky Drifter responded.

Virginia huffed. "Oh yeah! It's not like you could have done that without help; namely me and the others!"

Enrique snorted. "Do they always do this?" he asked Todd. The boy shrugged. "Before I met them I guess they did; they didn't fight that much when we were tangled up with Haruko."

"Who's Haruko?"

"An ultra- powerful demon who had once been human; he was going to destroy Filgaia out of revenge for the previous war and his entrapment in a mask."

"Oh."

Ileana rubbed her eyes with one hand before turning around to face her brother. "Oh, I see you're awake," Aaron stated with a smile.

"How did you-"

"I was looking out the window right there; I didn't notice you until now."

She glanced around. "Where… are we?" she asked as he scratched his head. "We're onboard a dragon named Lombardia; I'm not sure where we're headed though."

Ileana winced. "Where is Grandfather? I haven't seen him around here." Aaron frowned. "He… didn't come with us when Lombardia destroyed Orion; I can't tell you anything sure about him."

She seemed hurt, but also somewhat relieved. "Whatever his fate-,"

"-was also his destiny," Aaron finished. "You're not only the one who was raised by the same parents." She smiled slightly. "I remember that phrase for some reason; Grandfather never said it to me though."

He shrugged. "Well, as long as you're all right."

Lombardia suddenly shook though. "Whoa, what was that?" Virginia inquired as her argument with Jet ended. Todd looked out the nearest window. "Oh my… Everyone, look."

Virginia, Enrique, and Jet stood behind him and watched as the land beneath Lombardia change.

"It's freezing; what is going on?" Aaron muttered as he looked through the rear window.

Ileana coughed. "I've never seen the snow before." Aaron smiled. "I have a few times. It once snowed on Christmas day actually."

Snow flakes were beginning to fall in rapid succession as the dragon stopped. "A disturbance has shown…" Lombardia stated as Virginia thought for a moment. "How can it be snowing, though? It doesn't get cold enough, and besides, it happened in an instant."

Enrique snorted again. "Uh, has this happened before?" Jet nodded. "The weather acted funny when Haruko was still around; if that bas-,"

"Jet!" Virginia exclaimed. "What?"

"What are you doing?" Guile asked in a surprised tone. Crystaelius smiled as he scratched his nose. "I was just providing a little snow, besides, I think it's time to get out of this stuffy little body."

Zane's body gasped as an orb of light flowed out of it. The boy's body collapsed to the floor as a calm voice sounded. "Ah, how nice the breeze feels; soon this Filgaia will be perfect."

The light changed into a young teenage boy, about what seemed to be fourteen years of age.

His hair was a ghostly white; it flowed down his back and shoulders. His skin was an extreme pale, and his eyes were a damp indigo. Overall, his expression was a mix of happiness and sadness.

He wore a dark robe which fell to his ankles. "You're… an Ewl?" Crystaelius nodded. "Of course, we appear much more humanlike, but our essence is more, shall I say, abrupt."

The boy smiled. "Now, it's time for our grand play to begin; all the actors are in place, and that includes us, my friend."

"Grand play?" Guile froze. "What do you mean?" Crystaelius chuckled. "The end of everything is near, Guile. Once Filgaia is frozen, these Neosapiens will endure the great ending, and it is all thanks to you."

"You're going to destroy Filgaia?"

"No, but the humans will pay. But I'll spare you Guile, along with your granddaughter, right? You despise your grandson, do you not?"

Guile choke. "I… suppose so."

"Now that is not an answer," Crystaelius replied. "Well, think about it for now; you have a front row seat to the end of the world!"


	22. Chapter Thirteen I

(What was the great revelation, Rutee? All Crystaelius said was that he was going to kill all of the humans except for Guile; was that the revelation? Well, I'm not going to bother you all with questions; you didn't come for that, right?)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Thirteen: The First Act

Crystaelius sat casually on a large upright piece of debris, his legs swinging forward and backwards. His eyes were set on nothing particular, and he hummed an almost bitter sweet tone.

Guile cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but what exactly are you planning on doing?" The boy gave him a side glance. "It is nothing too exciting; I'm only going to rid Filgaia of every single human that lives on it."

Guile sighed. "But why would you do that? What have the humans done to you, a being that passed away years ago?"

Crystaelius stepped off of the rock and considered the question carefully, as if he was searching for a unique way of answering. "When I was much younger, my parents would always tell me that peace was only a day away; truthfully however, peace does not exist. It is something optimistic people use to comfort themselves, but peace is a pathetic dream."

He frowned slightly and continued. "Even though they would always say that, it didn't change the fact that they were still murdered by those blasted demons! The entire town was massacred, and only those who hid themselves away cleverly survived; only those who could do nothing survived."

Crystaelius ground his teeth. "I watched my family be slaughtered, and those filthy creatures killed them right in front of my eyes, but they spared me! Why would they spare me, you ask! Because they took joy in watching others suffer!"

He sighed as Guile stepped back. "So, there is your answer; the Neosapiens are at fault for causing the war, and as a result my innocent parents and sister were killed. I thought I would join them two years later though, but I didn't, and was cast away into Filgaia."

Guile slumped slightly and looked away. "I… am sorry for asking. To tell you the truth, I hadn't realized what I had done to my own family…"

Crystaelius reclaimed his smile. "Oh, well, time is falling short. Once Filgaia has been encased in ice, I can begin the reversal process."

"We should go back," Virginia suddenly declared as the others sat in silence. "Why should we? Onioron was blown up," Enrique stated. "Orion," Aaron corrected him, receiving only a scowl in his direction.

The girl nodded. "Well, yeah, but what else is there to do? This blizzard came out of nowhere and what would it hurt to go check?"

The swordsman considered the thought carefully. "I suppose it would be fine to make sure the remains of Orion have nothing to do with this."

Virginia smiled. "Exactly, so let's get going!" she exclaimed.

It did not take long for Lombardia to turn around and reach Orion; the destroyed structure was still lazily floating in the sky.

"It's getting cold," Enrique remarked as the dragon neared the structure. Todd shrugged. "I don't really feel anything concerning temperature; it's really just warm."

The two traded a few comments as Ileana stared out the window. "Grandfather, are you involved with this?" she thought. "But you've passed one, have you not?"

Crystaelius winced. "Well, that is quite unexpected; our Drifter friends have decided to visit; I wasn't intending on that, but one must improvise."

Guile watched as the dragon landed on a patch of rubble as the compartment upon its back opened, allowing several of its passengers to disembark.

Virginia had exited first, and was followed by Aaron. Jet and Ileana were last as Todd and Enrique remained inside.

The four had barely begun surveying the area when Ileana suddenly ran off towards two figures near the center of the platform. "Grandfather!" she cried, running towards as fast as she could. "Ileana, stop!" he ordered, causing her to halt a few feet away from him.

"What's wrong, Grandfather?" she asked while trying to hide her happiness. "I… no, it's not the time; I don't deserve your affection Ileana, not after how I treated your brother and the people who assisted me."

The girl attempted to advance towards him, but another voice halted her. "Yes, it's true; he really doesn't deserve anyone's affection," Crystaelius stated as they all looked at him.

"Who are you!" Ileana stammered as he smiled slightly. "Oh, Aaron and Jet can easily answer that question," he responded while turning to the two.

Aaron fidgeted and grasped the hilt of his sword tightly. "You are the one who inhabited Zane's body and informed us of how to reach Orion?" Crystaelius nodded. "Yes, I am."

Jet snorted. "Fine, but why did you help us anyways?" he asked as the boy faced him. "Why? Because of the pointlessness of it all; Crystaelius doesn't exist. Guile's plan was a complete waste, and even if he did succeed it would only result in Urien being awakened."

"Crystaelius isn't real?" Ileana muttered, fear beginning to creep up within her. Crystaelius chuckled. "You have my thanks though; you all contributed greatly to my awakening as well, but unfortunately, I must execute the reversal of Filgaia's energy."

"What do you mean 'reverse Filgaia's energy'?" Virginia blurted out. The boy brushed a strand of hair from his eyes and answered, "I would basically feed Filgaia its energy; I am Filgaia's energy! But it would not be my power, but rather that of the many life forms existing on this planet."

"So then, Filgaia would prosper while all the beings not directly linked to it would die?" Aaron confirmed.

"Correct."

Jet aimed his ARMs at the boy. "Sorry, but I'm not going to let you kill every single person on this planet!" he exclaimed while firing a series of bullets. Crystaelius quickly raised his arm, causing the bullets to freeze in midair. With a sudden burst of air, they flew back at the Drifter and collided with different parts of his body; spurts of blood fell to the floor.

The boy kept his arm and hand up as Jet cried out in pain, his body slowly rising into the air.

"Did you actually except that to damage me, Jet? You really are a fool, but that does not excuse the fact that you are an abomination, worse than the humans! You are both organic and mechanical, similar to that of a demon, but a small portion of Filgaia's energy rests within you, and that allows me the ability of manipulating your body and movements; I could easily crush you this instant!"

Aaron had immediately drawn out his blade and rushed at the boy, slashing downwards. However, the blade encountered only air, as Crystaelius was now standing behind him with Jet still in his control.

"You are still unable to help your friends Aaron; aren't you ashamed?"

The boy raised his free left hand and fired a small burst of energy at the swordsman, which caused a small explosion once it landed on his chest and knocked him back through a boulder.

"Stop it…" Jet muttered as Crystaelius tightened his grip, causing the Drifter to wince in agony.

"Do you want me to stop, Jet? Do you want me to allow you pathetic humans to continue to exist! No, I will not stop! I suffered, and in turn, so shall you!"

He lowered his arm, and Jet collapsed to the ground, his body still frozen. "My energy is providing a constant strain on your body; you should crumble!"

The silver- haired Drifter ground his teeth as his eyes widened. He could feel his body giving away, and tears actually began to form in his eyes.

"Damn you, damn you! Stop it! Stop it!" he shouted as a bright green aura appeared around him; his eyes lit up.

"What is this!" Crystaelius yelled as he leaped back. An explosion of light occurred around Jet, but in a second, it was over.

"Jet, are you all right!" Virginia demanded as she and Aaron rushed over to him. The Drifter remained motionless, suspended in a slumping motion over to floor.

A slight chuckle, however, could be heard from the body as he slowly rose.

Jet grinned widely and began to laugh as he raised his head to face Crystaelius. His eyes were alight with energy, and a green aura flowed around him. He gripped his ARMs and aimed it at the boy. Silver wires sprouted from the black shell and began to encase it, gradually creating a large cannon- like weapon.

Virginia began to walk towards him as he continued the chuckle. She circled around to his front and looked into his eyes.

"Jet…?" she mumbled as the weapon began to charge up with power. "Virginia, what are you doing! Get out of the way, now!" Aaron ordered. She glanced at him. "He won't fire, just wait!"

"There isn't any time!" he yelled before pulling her out of the way as a massive blast of energy shot out at Crystaelius, who merely jumped over the blast as it exploded in an amazing display of light and sound.

"Well, quite interesting; to think just by feeding you a morsel of my own energy you respond like this and become one with the planet. The pure form of the perfect being, however, you have not reached that; you are only a malfunction, how pitiful."

"What do you mean, what happened to him!" Virginia asked urgently as the boy glanced at her. "A merging of two different energy types from the planet has happened inside of him. My pure Filgaian energy, and his corrupted power have formed one type, creating a vast amount of power."

Jet lowered his weapon and laughed once more. "Yes, I have become perfect! The true state of my being is complete!" His grin grew wider and his laugh became louder as Aaron helped Virginia up from her position on the floor. "Virginia, please, we have to go."

She shook her head slowly. "We can't leave him, not now…" The swordsman sighed and grasped her, beginning to run back to Lombardia. "We can't do anything now! We'll help him later!"

Guile and Ileana had watched the event from Lombardia, along with Todd and Enrique as Aaron and Virginia neared the dragon.

"We have to get ready to go," Todd stated solemnly as he sat down in a seat. Enrique scratched his head. "But what about-,"

"We can't do anything about it right now; it would be better just to retreat."

Aaron and Virginia quickly boarded the dragon as he finished saying this. "Quickly," Aaron began. "We have to go and now."

Crystaelius sighed as Lombardia flew off into the air, he scratched his nose almost impatiently. "It seems your friends decided to run; a wise move in my opinion."

Jet smiled and replied. "Yes, but I still have one more thing to do; in order to prove that I am the strongest being in existence, I must first defeat you in combat."

The boy nodded as a calm wind blew through the area, leaving only silence as the sun slid through the clouds.

(Well, I have a question for you all: would you like there to be an epic ultimate battle for the end of the story, or something else? It's not the end yet, though, I just want to know.)


	23. Chapter Thirteen II

(Hello, my friends! Be prepared for a massive plot twist in this chapter that ties in both stories!)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Thirteen: Mutation of Purity II

"So, um, where are we headed?" Enrique asked Virginia as she sat across from him. "I… No, just go to the nearest town," she replied. He nodded and scratched his nose.

"Oh my… That's hard to believe," Todd stated upon hearing Aaron's description of the events. The swordsman shrugged. "Well, there's no use in dwelling on it; what's done is done."

Todd sighed and leaned back in his seat as Guile approached them. He did not look at them but rather concentrated on the window.

"I have to apologize," he said. Aaron glanced at him. "Apologize for what? If you're referring to this current incident, it's too late; an apology won't save the human race."

He nodded. "I wasn't talking about that; I meant it to be for you two." Aaron closed his eyes. "It's too late to be saying sorry to me, but I don't know about Todd."

Guile frowned and looked to the floor. "That's a shame; I hoped we could start on a clean slate. I may not be that old man anymore, but I thought we could be, perhaps, friends."

Aaron stood up and sighed. "Perhaps." He then fell back into his chair and leaned back. The other man cleared his throat. "Now, Todd, I have to tell you something important; something that has been bothering me since I saw you at the Emerald Palace."

The boy fidgeted slightly and stood up. "All right, go on, please." Guile looked into his eyes and sighed once more. "Do you know what you really are; what your true essence is?" Todd scratched his head. "What are you talking about? I'm just me."

Guile looked away and crossed his arms. "You are not a human, Todd, but you are a demon."

There was a long silence within Lombardia. Everyone had heard the statement. The boy shook his head and glanced around. "T-That's impossible! I can't be a demon! Look at me, I'm just as human, a human!"

Guile cleared his throat. "I know it is hard to believe, but it's the truth; I was one of the ones who worked on the Ovius project."

Virginia jolted up. "The Ovius project! You worked on it?" she blurted out while Todd stared at the floor.

"Yes, my colleagues and I saw it as a revolutionary study; humans would evolve into higher beings."

"Evolve! You call transforming into a killing machine evolving! That beast was living inside of me for the longest time!"

"It wasn't meant for that!" He calmed down. "The Ovius chip would enhance a normal human's attributes and abilities; it worked with Darius, Zane, and William."

"They were used as test subjects?" Ileana was standing now, listening to it all. Guile nodded. "Yes, the chip was a stabilizer, and it succeeded with them. But you Todd, it mutated within you; it was unexpected."

Todd ground his teeth. "But why me? Why was I used!"

"Don't you think I objected?" the man responded. "My fellows were ecstatic with their results, and would do anything to progress their experiments. Your family had done nothing, and I was unaware they had caught you during that fire at your home. Unfortunately, though, your body reacted horribly to it, and you suffered memory loss. They studied you for five years, until your mind was fully merged with the chip. Only a demon could have caused a malfunction in the chip, as the rest were humans."

"Was there a Morgan Cascade involved with the project?" Virginia suddenly asked. Guile turned to her. "Morgan? Oh yes, he was a part of it. However, once he saw the results of experimenting with Todd, he was disgusted and abandoned us."

He sighed once more. "He was smart. One night, Todd transformed, and he ran rampant through our facilities. He killed my colleagues, but I escaped. I believe it was that same night that Yggdrassil, which was kept under the Council of Seven, malfunctioned."

"You, remember that?" Virginia asked. He nodded. "Yes, and I doubt any of them survived. I do know they had been working on a 'Filgaia Sample'. A small portion of an Onakasa gem was integrated into the sample, and I believe that sample is the Jet Enduro you know, while the real one passed away."

Aaron shrugged. "So, after that you spent the rest of your time, until now, involved with Crystaelius, and you took Zane, Darius, and William under your wing?"

"Correct."

Todd sat back into his seat. "Is that why I heard Haruko speaking to Jet that time in the cave?"

(The fight will be next chapter.)


	24. Chapter Fourteen

(Don't worry, Rutee, you wouldn't have seen it coming; I came up with it yesterday. Okay, and now, here's your damn fight, Prier!)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Fourteen: Duel between Filgaia

Crystaelius avoided another blast as he leaped upon a boulder. "Your aim is quite off, my friend!" he shouted, receiving only a grin as Jet continued his barrage of attacks.

The boy shrugged and jumped over the next one, effortlessly dodging the next flurry of blasts. He then dashed at his opponent, preparing an energy sphere in his left hand, but before he could even thrust towards Jet, he had ducked and nailed the boy in the abdomen with an uppercut which sent him through the air.

Jet fired once more, but Crystaelius recovered quickly and swept the energy aside with his right hand and returned a series of invisible energy bursts with his left.

The Drifter easily dashed backwards and began to charge up another attack while Crystaelius gathered energy.

They then shot both blasts, and a deafening explosion occurred. Crystaelius flew back down towards Jet as the light from the explosion lessened and executed a combo of punches. Jet swiftly blocked each of the attacks with his arm and stepped aside to avoid the next blast which destroyed the entire area of Orion behind him.

He then pulled the trigger on the weapon, watching as the blast made contact with Crystaelius, causing a massive explosion.

Jet laughed and leaped into the air, firing downwards at the boy. Crystaelius quickly shot his hand up, deflecting the blast back at Jet. Another explosion occurred and the Drifter fell back to the ground, rolling to lessen the damage. He then held the weapon to the side as more wires sprouted and began to form a blade at the end of the barrel.

Crystaelius stopped and wiped some blood from his bottom lip. "I must say, you're quite an extraordinary fighter. Of course, I am not a warrior, and I prefer to settle matters with conversing, but I suddenly feel like defeating you myself."

Jet chuckled. "This warm up is over; you've been holding back."

The boy sighed. "How true, how true… Well, then, if you wish to experience the almighty strength of Fligaia then step back."

The Drifter continued chuckling and took a few steps back as a somewhat small, blue aura surrounded Crystaelius. There was complete silence for a few moments before cracks began to appear in the floor. They grew larger and larger, and the snow falling around them began to form a blizzard. The planet itself seemed to tremble as the oceans of sand burst upwards. The barren wastelands glowed a bright hue as trees and grass sprouted from it. Pristine water erupted from the sand and began to fill up the wide gaps between the islands.

"Do you see now! With only a slight increase in energy I can bring Filgaia back to life!" Crystaelius shouted over the roar of snow and water and the rumbling.

Jet frowned. "Perhaps, but what does this little show mean? Have you become more powerful, or is this to impress me?"

The boy grinned and raised his hands, forming another energy sphere. He then yelled and shot it at Jet, who jumped up. The blast exploded and destroyed the entire area left of Orion.

The Drifter directed his jump to the Ewl, preparing to strike. Crystaelius flew back and blocked the slash with his right index finger. He then blocked the next flurry of attacks and countered by jamming his knee into Jet's stomach and then knocking me away. The Filgaia Sample stopped mid- air however, and retaliated by firing another blast. Crystaelius twirled around avoided it, raising his right hand above his head and forming a much larger energy sphere and hurling it. The blast collided with Jet and fell into the ocean, causing a massive explosion. Huge tidal waves flew up, and the ground and mountains shook and blew apart. He then formed an even larger blast, shooting it at the now apparent crater in the ocean floor.

Another beam of energy soared through the blast and at Crystaelius however. The boy fired a blast to cancel out the attack, but Jet flew up, more and more wires sprouted from his arm and the weapon; they merged together to create a massive cannon of sorts.

Jet laughed maniacally and stopped above the Ewl, firing the cannon. The blast from the cannon was much bigger than any of the previous ones, and it consumed Crystaelius fully, knocking him into the mountain. The ensuing explosion destroyed the entire island, and Jet laughed loudly.

"Yes, I am invincible! No one can defeat me; I am almighty, a god!" he shouted as there was a small rustling in the water.

"Really now, Jet, you underestimate your opponents far too much," the boy stated as he floated up to join the Drifter. His robe was slightly torn and his skin showed some burn marks, but he looked almost exactly as before and showed no signs of tiring.

Jet showed a surprised expression on his face. "You can't be alive!" Crystaelius sighed. "I've died once before my friend, and I do not intend to. But, Filgaia has scorned you."

"What do you mean!"

"You must have realized it by now; this is your true self. Blood thirsty; a yearning for more battle. Your thirst will never be quenched Jet, and so you will never be perfect."

The Drifter began to shake. "No, that's not true! I'm not like this!" he cried as the aura light around him faded. The large cannon shattered, and Jet's arm was destroyed. His eyes regained their violet pupils, and his expression shifted.

Crystaelius smiled as his opponent began to fall towards an island, near the shore. He slowly hovered down, watching as the Drifter struggled to stand on the sand.

"Do you know why you are imperfect, Jet?" the Ewl asked as the sulky Drifter groaned and looked up at him. "You see, you are an abomination, created by man. You are the prime result of playing God, and yet you are so exactly like a human that Filgaia granted you life, but you have a single flaw."

Jet positioned himself to lean against a boulder. "What flaw… is that?" Crystaelius looked up to the sky. "You have no soul, Jet. Without a soul, Filgaia cannot bond with you, and that is why you will never be truly human."

The boy began to float away into the sky. "If you survive here, perhaps we will meet again."

He then flew away, leaving Jet to only watch.

(Whoa, too many 'Trigun' and 'Dragon Ball Z' references there.)


	25. Chapter Fifteen I

(I really cannot say how many chapters are left; it's seriously tough. I do know one thing for sure though: there will be no more stalling, interruptions, plot twists, or new villains to hinder our progress. It has been great, and I'm considering doing a prequel; yes, I love this too much to let it go. But, really, the final conclusion is about to be upon all of us, and then we can only imagine the type of crap Jet gets himself into.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Fifteen: Beyond Tomorrow I

Todd felt numb inside; he was at an absence of what to do. Even as he tried to sleep inside of Lombardia, he could not; something was nagging at him, almost killing him. This feeling of dread continued to grow as he watched his companions sleep. He could almost sense that Aaron and Virginia felt similar, but their reasons were entirely different.

However, the feeling inside of him was a completely separate one; he thought it was one of jealousy, perhaps even sorrow.

He was not human, or at least Guile did not think he was. It seemed like a foolish and impossible idea, but the more Todd sat there and thought about it, he knew it was true. He had only met one demon in his lifetime, and that was Haruko. That demon had even stated that he had once been human, but while he was not sure if the others thought so, Todd agreed. He could relate to Haruko on so many different levels, but he despised the fact that he was an entity, or something similar, that could hate so strongly; even kill. He had attempted to think about why the demon had wanted to eliminate Filgaia. At first, he had thought it was because he had been sealed within a mask for thousands of years, but he knew it was incorrect; nothing like that could drive someone to kill; no, it was something much more personal, something that had affected Haruko so deeply that he grieved for his entire life. It must have forced him to sit alone on a hilltop and watch life go by, slowly, uncaring. A tragedy that great is difficult to come by, and it may only occur for those who lead the most happy life.

Todd felt tears roll down his cheeks as he thought about the entire incident. He would never be able to find someone he truly cared for; someone that could hold him when nothing seemed right.

He sighed and examined the room; everyone else seemed to be sleeping silently, but he noticed Aaron was absent from his seat beside Enrique. Standing slowly, as to not awake the others, he crept outside and onto Lombardia's right wing.

Todd closed his eyes and let the wind touch his face. He had never been outside of the compartment when the dragon was flying, so he carefully realized his situation and began to walk around the structure. He spotted Aaron sitting down; he was leaning against a small spike on Lombardia's neck.

"What are you doing out here?" Todd asked while approaching Aaron, who did not respond until the boy had sat down next to him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? You can see all the stars, and the moon is so magnificent," he said as Todd stared at him. "I don't mean to pry, Aaron, but what are you going to do when this is all over?" The swordsman pondered the question before smiling slightly. "I was thinking about visiting that town, Vallaice. Actually, other than that, I have no idea. I suppose I'm just going to follow the path that life wants me to follow."

Todd frowned. "So it's not clear for you as well…" he stated as the man stood up. "This is it, Todd. You have to tell yourself that life wants you to keep going; you might just find what you're supposed to by pressing onwards… to the future."

The boy chuckled as the great bodies of water below them suddenly shot upwards, spiraling around an imaginary pillar.

"Like I said," Aaron started while watching chunks of land fly up to join the water. "…we have to keep going."

Jet struggled to pull himself a few feet forward, clutching his right shoulder at random intervals. He ground his teeth and tried to stand, but his legs gave away, and he collapsed. The endless, huge stream of water above him crashed loudly as land, debris, and air spun around the small remnants of the island he laid upon.

He found himself starting to cry though, and it was quite surprising even to him. Jet had been ignoring his emotions until now, but everything just seemed to spill out. His control faltered, and he found that it was a hopeless situation; he was too weak to even stand up, and all he really wanted to do was succumb to the pain and fall asleep.

"Would you like some help?"

Jet stopped rolling and struggling on the ground and listened. He could not track down the source of the voice, but it was extremely close.

"Hey, can you hear me, Jet?"

The Drifter groaned and coughed. It was a male voice, and it sounded like that of a young boy, most likely almost a teenager.

Jet ignored the growing pain and began to sit up, straining his eyes to focus on the boy standing before him. The boy's hair was a tad lighter than Jet's; long bangs drooped over his cobalt blue eyes. His baggy, beige pants were held up by a leather belt, while his shirt was a navy blue under a black vest. Jet watched him as he extended a hand towards him.

"So, do you want some help, or not?"

The Drifter gradually reached up for the hand with his remaining left arm. He grasped it, and the boy, somewhat tiresomely, heaved him up to lean against him.

"I've been watching you, Jet; thanks for looking after Todd for me," the boy stated while allowing Jet to lean against a boulder. "What… are you talking about? Who the hell are you and what do you want?" The Drifter felt some of his anger leak out as he asked this. After having his right arm shattered and being physically beaten down, he was in no good mood.

"Well, I really shouldn't be here, anyways. If Crystaelius hadn't opened the seal over Dawn, we wouldn't be here."

"We?"

"The souls who can't rest in peace; I'm one of them."

Jet seemed a tad surprised, but shrugged it off. "So, you're dead? And tons of other ghosts are wandering around. The boy shook his head and pointed towards the sky. A circular pit was growing, and everything in its radius was being sucked up. "You see that? The portal to Dawn was never meant to open. Any of the spirits can come and go as they please, but I came to help you. I'm pretty sure that Crystaelius wants Dawn to swallow all of Filgaia. Everyone sucked in will be trapped for an eternity."

Jet sighed. "That's all fine and dandy, but you still haven't told me who you are, and what exactly you're going to do."

"Oh, yeah, well, I died, about ten to eleven years ago. See, when you die, it just feels like you black out, and then you wake up again, but you don't wake up in your bed, or where you fell asleep; you actually wake up in a place that's serene and tranquil. It's and endless field with flowers; that's Dawn. I can't tell you about a heaven or hell, but that was the place I went to after I saved a friend of mine. Really, I don't feel horrible about it; I'm actually glad, because I'm still here, just not with my friends or loved ones. It's lonely sometimes, but I'm glad it wasn't Aaron."

Jet gasped slightly. "You're… that kid I was modeled after? The real Jet Enduro?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, at least I was. But I'm glad that you're the one who's living out my life, which is why I've come to help you. You're the only one who can stop this madness, Jet, and I came to make sure you do."

The boy grinned and approached the Filgaia Sample. "You won't be able to defeat Crystaelius or close the seal of Dawn in your current state, but once we've merged, you can stop him.

"Merged! What the hell do you mean?" Jet was beginning to grow afraid for some reason, but he did not understand why. This boy, the person he was based off of, had a peculiar feeling to him. He seemed friendly, but he had a cold, steely aura around him. This, 'Jet Enduro', was different; he had existed in a place where he could no longer see or hug those he loved.

Jet suddenly felt horrible. His own life was given at the cost of this boy's, and now he was expected to save the world? He could not do it.

"I can't… it's…"

"Our last chance," spoke the boy. "Please, let me do this. There's still time to stop all of this! Once this is over, you all can live in peace and I can go back! You have a choice, Jet, but please make the right one."

The silver- haired Drifter glanced at the ground and then back to the boy. "F-Fine… Do whatever you want." The boy smiled and nodded. "Thank you," he replied before his body began to glow.

"This might sting, but only for a little bit." His body faded into a small sphere of light which darted into Jet, causing him to scream out in agony. He fell to his knees; his body shook and burned in pain. However, after a moment, the pain elevated, and he felt perfectly fine.

Jet stood up, glancing at his body. He looked the same, but he felt like he had completely recovered since his previous battle with Crystaelius.

He nodded and looked up to the sky. "This is over."

A sudden rocking awoke the passengers within Lombardia's back. The great black hole was increasing in size; it would soon grow large enough to suck up most of Filgaia.

"Excuse me, but what the hell is that?" Enrique asked while watching the pit. Ileana frowned. "Yes, what is that? Grandfather, do you know?"

"No, I have no idea what that is, but Crystaelius must be involved with it; that's the only explanation," Guile answered as Virginia ground her teeth. "Then we have to go to the base of that thing; he should be there."

"And so should Jet," Todd stated as he stepped inside, followed by Aaron.

"Right then, let's do it!"

Crystaelius sighed and stood patiently on the large platform of emerald. "Finally, I won't be lonely anymore… All of those pesky humans will endure the same sorrow I did," he thought aloud as something suddenly landed on the platform.

The Ewl had no need to turn around; he knew who the person was. "How interesting; you recovered quite quickly Jet."

The Drifter shrugged. "I had some help."  
"I'm sure."

Crystaelius turned and frowned. "Why did you come? Are you going to stop me; defeat me?" he inquired as Jet scratched his forehead. "You're right; I did come, but not to defeat you. I came to send you back."

The boy began to laugh. "It's too late for that! Dawn will consume Filgaia, and then I will finally be free! I'll no longer have to wallow in sorrow and loneliness!"

Jet smirked. "That's nice, but you forgot that I'm here to stop you."

"Oh, and how do you intend to stop me? The last time we skirmished I was the one who came out fine, but you lost an arm, and all that power."

Jet chuckled. "I won't need both of my arms to beat you down." Crystaelius shrugged. "Well then, let's see what exactly you have planned for me, eh?"

"Sure."

The platform began to tremble lightly as a bright green aura surrounded Jet. Two spheres of light appeared of light appeared on his back. They sunk into his skin and burst out; two golden wings.

The aura weakened, forming a small shield around him. A beam of light shot from his right shoulder, forming a bare arm. The aura shrunk down into a sphere in his right hand. It transformed into a green sword.

Air burst around him, and everything suddenly grew silent.

"Well, very impressive. You have synchronized completely with Filgaia, but so have I. What does that make us, Jet, tell me."

"How the hell should I know?"

"Hmm, I'll tell you; this grand power we both have achieved has made us gods; we are the ultimate beings."

Jet smiled. "Are you done talking? You're really starting to piss me off." Crystaelius grinned. "Of course."

(Two more fights to go.)


	26. Chapter Fifteen II

(Now, remember that I said there would be two fights; this upcoming one isn't the epic, ultimate battle for the fate of Filgaia, and perhaps, the universe. Well, in any case, I'd like to confirm any things that might be going through your heads. (A.) There will not be a sequel; think of 'A Blade of Courage', as a sequel, and (B.) Jet and Virginia will not get married in this story.)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Fifteen: Beyond Tomorrow II

"Even if you do happen to conquer me in battle, it won't make a difference," Crystaelius stated as he folded his arms. "But I'm not going to stop you; give it your all."

Jet remained still; his wings extended and he hovered in the air, close to ground, for a few moments. "Okay, I will!"

The Drifter dashed at him, preparing to strike. His opponent readied himself and watched Jet rush at him. Jet slashed vertically at Crystaelius, the sword cutting through the air; the boy had stepped to the side while creating a sphere of energy in his right hand. He launched it at the Drifter, but the winged being flipped over and in back of the Ewl. The blast sped off into the air as Jet cut diagonally; Crystaelius quickly turned around and jumped back, avoiding the attack.

"Well, your movements are more difficult to comprehend and predict; I'll give you that. But you are still incapable of defeating me."

"Oh, really? Sorry, but working with these wings is a little annoying; I'll show you my power when I get used to it."

"Hmm, but you won't have enough time to practice!"

The Ewl unleashed a barrage of energy blasts, but Jet took to the air and swiftly dodged the first wave, however, they suddenly zipped around and headed back at him. The Drifter had not expected this, and was hit by the first two. The impact knocked him a few feet down, but he stopped abruptly and deflected the remaining blasts with his sword. Crystaelius took advantage of the situation and leaped into the air; he formed a great energy wave in his left hand and heaved it at Jet, but his opponent spun around and sliced through the attack, retaliating with a flurry of slashes, which Crystaelius avoided.

The boy smiled and dashed to the right while creating his own blade of energy. With a loud cry, he attacked Jet with a horizontal slash to his stomach, but he knocked it away before countering. They continued this for a few moments, blocking and attacking, until, however, Jet spun around the Ewl and knocked him back down to the platform.

Crystaelius rebounded off of the floor and shot another blast, but Jet slashed it away and flew down; he held his sword to the right and curled his arm in, slamming his right elbow into the boy's abdomen. Crystaelius crashed to the floor as the Drifter prepared to impale him with his sword. The boy rolled to his right and stood up as the blade collided with the floor. He lunged at Jet and pounded his right fist into his left cheek, knocking him across the platform.

Jet quickly flipped and stopped himself; he then flapped his wings and dashed at the Ewl, gathering energy in his blade all the while. Crystaelius frowned and avoided the first slash, but Jet twirled around and slashed once more. The boy knocked the sword away and fired a much stronger energy burst at the Drifter, but Jet was quick and flew backwards, grabbing the blast and throwing it back at its owner. Crystaelius had not expected this, and was hit full force by the explosion. He sailed through the air, giving Jet enough time to charge his sword again.

The boy ground his teeth and forced himself to land before forming a great sphere of light and heaving it at the Filgaia Sample. Jet merely slashed downwards and through the blast; he flew straight at Crystaelius and sliced through him.

The Ewl gasped and choked as his adversary landed and stood up. His body began to dissipate as his upper torso, fell.

"I suppose I was the one who underestimated… this time, right?" the boy stammered as Jet approached him. "How do I stop that thing?"

"You can't… stop it. There is no way to close the seal now, and Filgaia will soon be gone completely…" he answered as his body began to fade away completely.

"Some help he was," the Drifter remarked while noticing Lombardia nearing the platform.

"It's Jet!" Virginia exclaimed before running off of Lombardia. Aaron smiled slightly and followed; Guile went as well, but Todd remained inside along with Ileana.

"Aren't you guys gonna come?" Enrique asked while walking out. Todd shook his head. "Give me a moment, but I don't know about her."

Enrique shrugged and joined the others while Todd leaned against the wall. "So, why aren't you following them?" Ileana sighed and shrugged. "I just don't feel like it; I'm not a part of your little group. Grandfather at least knew Jet's family, I…"

"You knew them too, but you forgot; I even had a family, but I lost all my memories," Todd stated while approaching the door. "Don't worry about it; everything's all right now."

He then exited the compartment.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Virginia said before jumping onto Jet in an embrace. "What… What are you doing!" he stammered while she let go and giggled. "It's nothing."

Aaron watched them while standing against Lombardia. Todd walked over to him. "It's nice that Jet's back, but what about that hole in the sky? It got bigger." The swordsman shrugged. "I don't know, but Jet should. He's different; he seems to be at peace."

Once Jet had explained the incident everything became clear to his companions. "So, by synchronizing with that soul you gained access to this power?" Guile confirmed as the others listened. Jet nodded and glanced up. "Yeah, but it's not over yet; there's still that Dawn thing."

Guile thought for a moment. "It must have become too powerful for Crystaelius to have controlled; if that spirit is right, Jet, the only option left is to venture into Dawn and neutralize it."

The silver- haired Drifter sighed. "That's cool and all, but I'll go alone; you all should alert everyone else on the planet about this."

"I agree," Aaron commented as Virginia shook her head. "If you go by yourself, you might not make it back." He shrugged. "Ah, who cares? It'll be a piece of cake." Todd cleared his throat. "Just be careful."

Jet nodded as his wings spread out again. "Sure."

(Well, I cut the chapter a little short, but the next big thing is due next time.)


	27. Chapter Sixteen

(I'm pathetic aren't I? Just updating a story, with two chapters left, that only has one reviewer… doesn't that seem pathetic? Well, I actually wouldn't be updating a story if no one was around to read it; that's what Jay Are Vee doesn't understand!)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Sixteen: Fate

The great, looming darkness of the pit seemed intimidating, but to Jet, it was more like a welcoming. He was not frightened as he flew higher and higher towards it, rather, he felt calm.

All the noises around him became silent once he entered the darkness.

Aaron watched the small figure fly into the large pit. He felt somewhat relieved, but also sad; he was unable to help. Since that day ten years ago, Aaron always held himself responsible for Jet's death. He knew well that if he had not been standing under that weak portion of the ceiling, the younger boy would not have had to push him out of the way. Aaron was supposed to have been the older one; he was the one who should have protected his friends. The tragedy that befell the Enduro family was a horrid one. He did not even know how Jet's mother was, but he could never allow himself to go back to that town.

Jet felt himself falling; he quickly flapped his wings and gradually landed, his boots crushing a few blades of grass.

He sighed and glanced around. He was not standing in complete darkness, but rather a massive field. The clear blue sky was littered with lazily drifting clouds, but there was no sun. Several trees dotted the scene. It was a beautiful place, but Jet was not impressed by its tranquility. This was a place where he did not belong, and he would most likely never go.

"Quite a scene for such a lonely place, is it not?"

Jet spun around to see Crystaelius limping over to him. He was clutching his right arm and seemed to be wounded and weak.

"I'm not really surprised that you're alive; no one I kill these days stays dead." Crystaelius chuckled. "I'm not alive, Jet. I've reverted back to my spiritual state, but that is exactly what I wanted."

"Why?"

"Because I can fully merge with Dawn now that I am a nonliving entity. I can make absolute sure that Filgaia is consumed," he answered. Jet shrugged. "Oh, okay, and how are you going to do that?" The Ewl smiled. "I won't be alone any longer…"

He rose and hovered in the air as the sky began to darken. He grinned as a blood red aura surrounded him. "You see, Jet, you cannot judge life, and that is why I will end it! My family and the people in my town were massacred, and I will make sure that vengeance will be taken!"

His pupils turned a crimson shade and his aura burst out as two, large wings sprouted from his back. He laughed maniacally as the field of flowers and grass died, as well as the trees. Another burst of energy occurred before silence overtook the scene.

The once beautiful field was now a barren wasteland, and Crystaelius landed softly on the ground.

"I have become as you are, Jet. Your power comes from that of life, but mine is that of death," he stated. His voice was empty and hollow; its tone was slightly mutilated.

Jet smirked. "Good, maybe we'll have a fair fight this time?"

"Hardly."

The Drifter ground his teeth and fired a blast of green energy at his adversary. The blast hit its target and exploded. Jet began to grin, but it faded to a frown once he saw the figure still standing in the exact same position. "Shit," he thought as Crystaelius appeared behind him. He turned around, only to be grasped by the throat and raised into the air.

"What happened to your great power, Jet? The power that was going to defeat me?" He grasped harder and slammed Jet to the ground, forming a sphere of dark energy. The Drifter flew out of the way as the explosion occurred. He created his sword again and dashed at Crystaelius.

The Ewl took to the air and smirked as Jet slashed at him. He avoided the flurry of attacks, and twirled around, firing another energy sphere. The blast collided with Jet and flung him to the ground, but he slashed through it and fired his own attack.

Crystaelius swept it away and formed his own sword before heaving another, more powerful blast. Jet dodged it and flew back towards the boy; their blades met each other, causing a powerful shockwave to erupt from the two.

Jet ground his teeth and dashed around Crystaelius, attempting an attack from the back. The Ewl chuckled and blocked the sword, countering by slashing the Drifter back to the ground, but before he could land, Crystaelius appeared behind Jet and hit him again, knocking him to the ground.

"You see, Jet? My ambitions will not be silenced! Dawn will absorb all of Filgaia! Yes, right now!"

Todd noticed it while the others conversed about what plan of action to take. The pit of darkness spread out and covered the sky, slowly falling to the ground. He was not sure what to think of it. Had Jet failed in stopping Dawn, or was there something more sinister behind this?

He sighed and noticed Aaron was watching it as well, but the expression on his face showed nothing but regret.

Crystaelius winced as he noticed Jet standing in the center of the crater. He seemed to be in pain, but the Drifter stood straight and floated back up to his opponent.

"So, you still have some fight left in you? It is too late to stop Dawn." Jet wiped some blood from his lower lip. "Yeah, maybe, but I feel like slamming you into the dirt; you won't get rid of me that easily."

"So I see…"

(Yeah, this was a short chapter, but the real fight's next chapter.)


	28. Chapter Seventeen

(Ah, just two more chapters left; this one and the next! Well, I'll probably write the last chapter on the weekend, since it'll take some time that I'm not able to get during the week with school and stuff…)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Seventeen: Light and Dark

The sky was a dim gray, covering up the sun as if it were a thick blanket. The only sound present was that of the wind blowing through the wasteland. Jet Enduro flapped his wings; they lost their golden hue as he spoke.

"Refresh my memory; why the hell are you doing this crap?" he asked while slightly cocking his head to the right. The pale teenage Ewl sighed. "The humans are in a panic, Jet, just like my hometown was so many centuries ago. The race that created you is facing chaos; they all must notice the cold, dark blanket beginning to engulf their pathetic planet by now. Besides, look at _you_, the only defense Filgaia has left."

Jet snorted. "If you meant something by that, sorry, but it didn't work. You still didn't answer my question."

Crystaelius closed his eyes. "Fine then, I'll tell you why I am so lonely, so hurt…"

He cleared his throat and smiled. "I can remember it like it was yesterday; I was only ten at the time. Well, my older sister, Valkryie, was gone from our home at the time of the attack; I'm quite glad she was. Anyway, our town housed Neosapiens and Ewls alike, and I would play with a group of Ewls my age. We did not associate with the human children, even though our parents said it was all right. But there was one child that always picked on by the older Ewl children; I can't remember his name, but his mother was human, and his father was an Ewl. He didn't play with anyone, and his only friend was a female Ewl a little older than me; about eleven. That boy and I were the _only _survivors of the attack on our town; everyone else was killed by the demons."

Jet yawned. "Okay… is that why you're trying to kill all of us?"

The Ewl ground his teeth. "Silence, you! An abomination, such as yourself, would not understand! My entire life was destroyed because of the demons, and had it not been for the humans, the demons would never have had a reason to attack!"

Jet smirked and lowered himself to the ground. Crystaelius followed slowly; he landed gently on the ground and scowled. "Do you think it funny, or humorous!" he demanded, receiving only a shrug. The Drifter chuckled. "Hey, I was just trying to shake you up; it'd give me an edge in fighting you."

The Ewl grew furious and flapped his gigantic wings out. "Why even try fighting? You cannot defeat me!" he exclaimed before dashing at Jet at a high rate of speed. The Drifter was not expecting this, and the fist collided with his left cheek and sent him sailing towards a small cliff. Jet recuperated quickly and flipped, landing on the ground and attempting a punch at his opponent, who had flown towards him. Crystaelius avoided it and nailed Jet in the stomach with his right fist, causing the Drifter to be erupted into the air.

Jet winced and stopped; he flew out of the way of Crystaelius's next attack and kicked him in the chest.

The Ewl went back a few feet, but fired a series of red energy blasts. Jet formed his sword and deflected each of them before slashing at Crystaelius. His adversary dodged the slashes and warped behind Jet, blasting him in the back. A part of the Drifter's jacket was left scorched by the attack, but he spun around quickly and sliced Crystaelius in the stomach.

The Ewl scowled once more before Jet lunged at him, knocking him into the ground. He then formed an energy sphere and heaved it at the crater, causing an explosion. Crystaelius was slightly weakened by the attack, but he shot his own beam of energy, but his enemy got out of the way and dashed downwards at Crystaelius, grounding his teeth and slashing. The Ewl leaped away and formed his own blade as the ground separated and shifted from the sword.

Crystaelius cried out in anger and bombarded Jet with an assault of sword swipes; Jet blocked the first few but was hit by a majority of them. Crystaelius then slammed the hilt of the sword into the Drifter's chest; the impact sent him crashing into a boulder. Crystaelius wasted no time and unleashed another, much more powerful energy projectile.

Jet spat out some blood and began to stand before the blast collided with him; it exploded, damaging him greatly. He landed a few yards away, trying to regain his composure and get up.

"It's useless, you fool; stubbornness will only get you killed," the boy stated while hovering in the air above his fallen opponent. Jet ignored the pain and got to his feet, spreading his wings and tearing off the remnants of his torn jacket, leaving only the black shirt he wore to cover his upper body. The explosions and attacks had left his jeans slightly torn, but he brushed them off and wiped some blood from his face. Crystaelius showed barely any signs of damage, but his robe had been cut and his face held a few scratches.

Jet grinned. "I'm not done yet; you're going down!" he exclaimed while warping into the air above the Ewl. He held his sword above his head and slashed downward; the boy tried to block, but his sword shattered and the attack knocked him away. Jet fired two bursts of energy and swiftly warped behind Crystaelius. The Ewl swept the blasts away, but the Drifter slashed him in the back, causing him to wince and turn around; Crystaelius attempted a punch, but Jet ducked and slammed his elbow into his abdomen.

Crystaelius gasped for air, but ground his teeth and knocked the sword away from Jet's hand when he attacked again. The Drifter was left stunned for a moment as the boy smashed in the face with his right fist. Jet focused and caught the next punch with his left hand; his own fist collided with Crystaelius's cheek.

The Ewl backed away and formed a sphere of dark energy. He flung it at Jet, but the Drifter twirled around it and created an aura of light around himself; he slammed into Crystaelius and sent him sailing into the cliff. He then flew down towards him, but the boy darted up and grasped Jet by the throat, throwing him through the air.

Jet stopped and attempted to counter with a blast, but Crystaelius shot him down to the ground.

The silver- haired Drifter cursed as he stared up at his adversary; he supported himself on one knee and kept his arms to his sides. The teenage Ewl slowed his breathing and smiled. "Surrender, Jet, please. You cannot stop me, and you will die. That is the only option left for you."

"No, I won't… be weak…"

"But you are, compared to me at least; Filgaia has met the last of its days; deal with it! Besides, when you die, where will you go? You still have no soul, so where will you venture off to?"

"I don't know… but I'm not gonna die now."

Crystaelius held out his right hand and began to create a sphere of pure darkness in his palm. "When I unleash this power, Dawn will consume all life, and death will be silenced…"

"Huh, don't be so damn arrogant; shouldn't you know that without life your power of death wouldn't exist?"

The Ewl sighed with annoyance. "So? What are you talking about?"

Jet smiled and held out his arms to his sides. "Without each other's power, we wouldn't have any, so if you kill me, you're done for, but if I kill us both, we'll be dead."

The sphere of darkness grew as Crystaelius frowned. "You'll go as far as to exert all of your energy just to save some pitiful species? I must say, you never cease to amaze me; you just don't give up, and now you want to risk your life for a mediocre race of animals who gave you this damned existence?"

Jet nodded. "Yeah…"

Crystaelius chuckled. "Fine then; let us see your power of life conquer mine of death."


	29. Chapter Eighteen

(Ah, the final chapter! To be truthful, I don't care if anyone is here to read this, I'm still going to finish this story!)

The Myth of Crystaelius:

Chapter Eighteen: Eclipses

The entire planet shook; mountains crumbled, seas fell upon each other, and the humans could only stare, helpless, at the darkness about to engulf them. There was no light, and there was no hope in the eyes of Todd McCleney as he looked into the endless dark.

"Jet… he couldn't stop it…" he stated, never taking his eyes off of the spectacle. He, along with the rest of his companions, could not comprehend what was happening up there as they stood atop Lombardia. Filgaia was being gradually torn apart, and the temperature had dropped severely. Whatever was occurring within Dawn, time was running out for the fate of the world.

Jet attempted to focus as his body burned in pain. He had one shot; he had to neutralize Dawn with whatever energy he had left, including his own life force.

"You're playing a game that you cannot win, Jet; you're doomed to fail!" Crystaelius shouted in an implacable tone. He did not seem joyous, but rather angry. The sphere of pure darkness he held on his palm had grown to an extraordinary size. It was even growing larger as it absorbed the area around the teenaged Ewl; the scenery was fading away into darkness.

"Dammit! Why can't you shut up for a change?" Jet shouted back as a bright, golden aura surrounded him. His wings expanded, and began to glow brightly while the aura morphed into a sphere in front of his chest.

Crystaelius scowled slightly and readied the sphere. "You cannot stop fate you fool! I myself have learned that lesson, but fate was kind enough to grant me another life, even if it was a fake one!"

Tears began to fall from the Ewl's eyes as he fidgeted. "I suppose I feel pity for you; living a life that has no true meaning… So, then, why did you come here, to this place? You could have easily given up and died on that island, but no, heroic actions are first priority, aren't they?"

Jet smirked. "I came here… because I have to know if there's a reason for my life to exist."

"A reason? There is no reason for you, don't you see?"

"No, there has to be!"

"Silence! If you are so passionate about it, then see the light within the darkness! Experience the sorrow I have! The entire human race can share true darkness!"

With that, he unleashed the sphere. Its speed was incredible, absorbing all of its surroundings. Jet ground his teeth; with a loud cry, he released the sphere's energy; it exploded into a massive beam and collided with the sphere.

The pain Jet felt was enormous; his knees buckled as more energy seeped from his body.

"Is this the power of life, Jet? Is this truly all you have to offer in Filgaia's time of plight?" Crystaelius yelled as the beam became smaller. Jet winced and fought the agony, standing straight and holding his arms to his sides. "I… won't give in!" he responded with a roar as his body shook. Light flooded out of him and into the beam, powering it up. The new impact sent the sphere closer to Crystaelius but he gave it no thought and held out his hands. "Once you have been ridden of, Filgaia will no longer be able to sustain itself; it will die, and the planet will become an empty, hollow shell, just as you really are!"

The Drifter closed his eyes and smiled slightly. "No, you're the only one who's going to die!"

"I will not; not again!" The Ewl's body began to slowly dissipate, flowing into the sphere. "I will no longer be a ghost!"

Jet felt the impact instantaneously, and it forced him to his knees. It felt like each and every muscle in his body was going to burst, but there was a sudden cry in the back of his mind.

_Come on, Jet! I didn't put my faith in you only to have you dead! You can't die here, not yet!_

The Drifter could barely hear the voice, but he suddenly felt as light as a feather. He rose to his feet and scowled. "Yeah, I won't die yet!" Images began to appear in his mind; they were brief, yet as clear as the sky on a cloudless day.

The images showed of his time with Werner Maxwell, his times when he strolled through everyday, his time with Virginia and the others, and finally, his most recent moments. "I guess I should have said goodbye when I had the chance… oh well…"

With a roar, a huge mass of light flew out of Jet and into the beam, flying until it hit the sphere. The Drifter fell, his wings fading as he did so. All of Dawn shook tremendously as the sphere rocked and shattered, leaving a tattered, young boy in the light.

Light began to flood the area, and there was soon only the dark sky, filled with stars. Yet Jet could not see the sky, as he was still within the dark mass which continued to gradually disappear.

"So… the power of light overcame that of darkness…?" Crystaelius confirmed as he shuffled over to Jet's body; his own dissipating into the air.

A pale figure rose from the darkness, his expression solemn. "Why, Crystaelius? Why did you do all of this?"

The Ewl shook his head. "My vision was clouded, and I could not see the truth… My family died, and I gave up living, going through each day like a hollow statue… This is… the best, right…?"

"Yeah, you and I can finally fade away."

"Hmm, thank you, Jet, for helping silence me… Perhaps, we can meet again one day… in peace…"

A huge blast of light blew through the portal of darkness, searing it open. It dissipated in a matter, of seconds, leaving only a small figure falling through the air. Everything became suddenly silent; the wind ceased blowing; the water stopped flowing; the breathing of the Filgaians stopped as the figure fell slowly through the air, his ragged clothing blowing slightly.

Todd was breathless, as was Aaron. Enrique began to smile, and Ileana felt the temperature rise. Virginia began to laugh. "Jet… he did it! He did it!"

Jet Enduro smiled sighed as he felt the tombstone with his fingers. "So, you're the one who was a mother to Jet and Todd? Well, it's nice to meet you," he stated, speaking to no one exact.

The sun shone brightly on the small graveyard Dew slid off of the flowers and blades of grass. There were overgrown weeds and vegetation, and the graveyard did not seem to have a keeper. The activity in the town a mile away was much too slow, but Jet came here only to speak to his, in a sense, 'mother'.

"I thought you would be here; didn't tell the others, right?" asked Aaron as he walked up behind the Drifter. Jet shook his head. "Yeah, it's only been two days… Why are you here?"

"I suppose for the same reason you are, but I guess I also came to bid you farewell." He smiled. "I'm going to be on my way in a few hours, and I already said my 'goodbyes' to the others."

Jet turned to him. "Well, then, Aaron, I guess I'll see you around."

"Yes, maybe we'll meet up again later on." Jet nodded and scratched his head. "Todd told me you're going to Valliace; any particular reason?"

The swordsman thought for a moment. "I believe I'm going for a little adventure, you know? I might even experience a few new things."

He walked over to the graveyard gates and sighed. "Until we meet again Jet, either in this life or the next."

He then walked off, never looking back. Jet watched him for a moment, before smiling slightly.

(Finally, it's over! You know, I've been playing WA3 over again in my EX File, and I've noticed that Beatrice comes out a lot more than you'd expect! Of course, she's only there for like a second, but I've noticed it… oh yes…)


End file.
